Go home with me
by Gwen Truong
Summary: AU - Zero was the heir of a traditional hunter family with many strict customs. Yet love knew no boundaries, he fell in love with Kaname, a male pureblood, and struggled between his true feelings and his family's expectations. Zero x Kaname - Complete
1. Chapter 1

**_Summary_**_: AU - Zero was born in a traditional hunter family, but he has committed a big sin by choosing to spend his life with a male pureblood. When New Year's holidays were coming, he decided to take his lover home to meet his parents. ZxK_

**_A/N_**_: Looks like it is my New Year fanfic, though it comes out too late :-)_

_It took place in an AU of VK world, where Zero had grown up with a family, and some details of the story were altered, i.e: Shizuka's attack still hasn't happened yet. Zero and Kaname are kind of out of character._

_There is a narrator. Could you guess who he was? *wink*_

**Chapter 1**

If one day you had no more worries about failing your term-end examinations, or losing your job, or breaking up with your lover, you had no more worries about what destiny was holding for your future, when your health would decline, or if your wallet could ever get empty. I didn't mean my life was perfect, but... What would you do if you were _**me**_?

I used to feel redundant, as if my existence didn't matter any longer, but with time I learned to see the world in my brother's eyes, and enjoy life with his dreams, his hopes, his passions, and his intensities, even though now and then I wished I could somehow find a way to let him know my opinions and persuade him to change a few things. Not that he was wrong, my brother was a great person, I just sometimes felt he was... If you wanted me to polish it, I would say he was kind and selfless, but quite frankly, lots of kindness and selflessness would make people... silly. He cared too much for the others, he only thought about making things best for the others, and unintentionally forgot himself. It just made the others take advantage of him. I was sure about it, because I had heavily relied on him and asked him to help me all the time, I expected him to follow what I wanted, to pick the way I wanted to go, to choose the food I wanted to eat, to take responsibility for what I had done wrong, to fix my mistakes, or simply to be there whenever I needed him.

My brother had never complained about my excessive demands. When I fell into a habit of refusing to resolve any problem on my own and expected him to do everything for me, I realized I had been rottenly spoiled by him. So I decided to separate from him to learn how to stand on my own feet before completely becoming his shadow. Let's not talk about that journey of mine, but those tough years living away from our family had given me enough experiences to enrich my knowledge, mature my mind and deepen my wisdom. Yet my brother didn't change that much when I returned, he was still a very kind and gentle person, who would rather get deceived than think badly about the others, rather hurt himself than seeing the others get hurt. The only difference was both of us had grown up into good-looking men, we inherited the elegance of our father, but his gentleness was definitely from our loving mother, the most considerate and caring woman I had ever known.

White winter had come back to Hokkaido and turned it into a paradise with a bed of snow under your feet, snow-clad trees standing together proudly, and light, powdery snowflakes sifting in the air. I had experienced winter in many areas around the world, but the first time getting mesmerised by this white beauty had engraved deeply in my heart and become one of our best memories. Our home town was Okinawa, the southernmost of Japan, where temperature never got low enough for snowing. In that year, both of us were five, our parents needed to attend a meeting at the HA headquarters which was located in Hokkaido, and they decided to bring us along with them. Unfortunately, the coldness made me sick, and my brother was sad since I didn't feel well, we looked sulky and uncooperative as uncle Cross insisted to get us out for a stroll on a fascinating snow-covered hill and take our photos. In fact, it was a very enjoyable experience, I even told my brother that I wanted to come back, and he said we would go study at Cross Academy together if my condition was improved when we grew up.

My brother did return when he was fifteen, since the HA appreciated his potential and wanted him to relocate to Hokkaido for special trainings. They planned a ten-year period to transmit all techniques and skills of a hunter to him and observe the development of his powers. Uncle Cross and Yagari-sensei, his mentor, became his guardians, and took charge of teaching, guiding, and supervising his achievements. I guess it wasn't a difficult duty as my brother was smart, hard-working, and had a deep passion of succeeding and developing our family's heritage. To their marvelous amazement, he reached the supreme level of powers at the age of twenty five, while other hunters couldn't achieve it until they were over fifty or never got close to it all their life. Our father reached it when forty, and uncle Cross thirty. Of course there were still many ranks in the supreme level, it all depended on the hunter's root and aptitude, their powers would keep increasing with time, though slower than before. My brother was only at the beginning rank at the moment, however, he was expected to overtake uncle Cross one day and even get stronger than him. His achievement was our family's big pride, yet it was the source of his trouble.

He had a lover. For a twenty five year old guy, having a lover should be a good thing, but in his case, I was certain he would hardly receive anyone's support. The Kiryuus were a very traditional and ethical family with lots of rigorous regulations. One of the reasons I left our family very early was I couldn't stand all of the rules and disciplines which we were forced to follow. On the contrary, my brother had obediently complied with them until he moved to Hokkaido, and I assumed ten year of living away from home had somehow given him some nuts to commit this _sin_.

His lover was twenty year older than him. I didn't think it could be easily accepted in any family, let alone our family, where all members had got married according to their elders' arrangements. Love wasn't an important issue to a Kiryuu. Strengthen relationships, strengthen powers, strengthen the next generations, strengthen foundation to accomplish our missions were what mattered. Our grandparents and the others of their time hadn't met their spouses before marriage. The first time our father went on a date with our mother was when they needed to discuss about their wedding. They had already found a suitable bride in Okinawa for my brother. Since he was the heir of the Kiryuus, his wife must be selected carefully.

His lover was a male. Even I couldn't believe it when they started going out. If you looked at my brother, there's no chance you would suspect he was the type of man who could hold another man. His head was high, his look straight, his voice low, shirts were plain and in soft color. He usually offered a hand when you needed him, and if you put a mirror on his way, I could bet with all my money that he wouldn't bother to glance at it even for a second to check his appearance. In short, being with a man didn't make my brother less manly in any aspect. Well, you might think I was putting gays in the same category as cross-dressers. Not at all, I only meant gay men were highly conscious of their looks, or people wouldn't say most of handsome and single guys were gay. It was totally true to his lover, who didn't have the fantasy of dressing as a woman either, but if you looked at him, anywhere he was, anytime during the day, the only word that appeared in your mind was "gorgeous". There's no chance you could find a single strand of his hair which was in disorder, they all were in their rightest places, in their rightest length, beautifully shining as a result of a frequent hair care. He dressed his best-tailored suits precisely and properly, walked in a graceful manner, and each of his gestures was elegant as a dance. If people called women the fair sex, then he was too beautiful to be a man.

I understood why my brother accepted his confession. He had stayed in a dorm with a lot of guys for ten years, slept in the same room with male roommates, trained with several fellows, but never grew any tiny piece of interest in anyone, however, it usually created a different atmosphere when he stayed with him, when looking deeply in his eyes and finding his desperate desire to be accepted, to be loved. As I said, my brother was too kind to the point of becoming silly, how could he have the heart to shatter the other's hope?

Nevertheless, those two reasons were nothing in comparison with the last one. His lover was a vampire, a pureblood to be exact. His name was Kaname Kuran, the owner of Kuran General Hospital, where my brother planned to spend his two-year internship in, while our father wanted him to return home and started in the public hospital where he worked as its director. Did I forget to mention our father was a surgeon, and our mother was a nurse? That's why my brother was guided to follow their career. Since he was required to move to Hokkaido for the hunter trainings, he had to continue his education here, his dream was to become a cardiologist, and Kaname happened to be a cardiological surgeon of a great renown, who used to study at Cross Academy as well, he was my brother's idol to start with. Thanks to his vampiric genes, he didn't look any older than mid-twenty, and somewhere in their meetings to discuss about cardiology, he captivated my brother's heart.

But Zero asked him to keep their relationship a secret to everyone, not because he was afraid of public opinion, though he understood they wouldn't receive any sympathy. From the bottom of his heart, I thought he still wasn't quite sure what kind of feeling he harbored for Kaname. He had admired him for a long time, even before they had a chance to speak with each other. They finally were introduced to each other through uncle Cross, and got into a long conversation. At first, the pureblood seemed hesitant on my brother's approach, but after six months, he started initiatively contacting my brother and asking him out. Sometimes he was declined, but then Zero would proactively call him back as afraid he would be upset. Kaname had wide knowledge and experience in cardiology, he's willing to listen to his every question and explain to him in details, my naïve brother couldn't find anything strange, so he was absolutely shocked when the pureblood confessed. You might laugh hearing why he hadn't rejected him right in that instant. He thought his rejection would hurt the other's feeling!

Now you understood why I said lots of kindness and selflessness would make people silly and be taken advantage of. Zero knew Kaname wasn't the type who ran around to seduce young guys, so he couldn't break the heart of someone who held deep feelings for him. He accepted to be his boyfriend. Since then he would answer the pureblood's phone calls, reply his emails, text him back, go out for dinner with him. He also stayed overnight at his house now and then, yet they had never slept with each other. In our family's tradition, we couldn't have sex before marriage, and the only person we slept with for our all life was our spouse.

New Year holidays were coming. Tomorrow we would take the earliest flight back to Okinawa, and stayed for two weeks to celebrate the occasion. It was our tradition to gather together on New Year Day. In fact, most of the Kiryuus resided in Okinawa, where the head of our family was the Chief Hunter of Okinawa prefecture, except a few who were assigned by the HA to temporarily locate in other areas. Zero was supposed to move back this year, he was the Kiryuus heir, his life was fated to attach with Okinawa, just as the Kurans' territory was Hokkaido, you wouldn't find a Kuran permanently located in another area. It was an agreement between pureblood families. If a pureblood resided in another pureblood family's territory, it would be judged as an unfriendly motive. It took six hours from Hokkaido to Okinawa by air, and Kaname had his own plane, however, it wasn't the matter of time and distance. They had never talked about their future, the pureblood seemed more and more depressed recently.

Tonight he invited my brother to stay over at his house, Zero agreed and was taking his luggage with him, so he could go straight to the airport in the next morning. It was heavily snowing, temperature was somewhere around minus six degrees Celsius. He's wearing a black fleece coat with its fur hood drooped behind, both hands were in black leather winter gloves. He was silent, vaguely looking at the white-snowed leafless trees through the cab's window, probably still thinking about his phone call with our father earlier this afternoon. I knew this gathering would be more stressful to all of us as our family were pressing him into an arranged marriage with a daughter of our father's best friend. And Zero said he had a lover. Yes, for the very first time he announced he had found a lover of his own choice. I need not to say how angry our father was to hear such news. My brother's long brows frowned and created a wrinkle in between, lips tightened, he must be deep in contemplation and struggle for the best solution. Even as close as we were, I couldn't predict how he would resolve this trouble. He didn't want to hurt Kaname, because the pureblood was his senior, someone he deeply admired and respected, but he would surely not disobey our father, he was his own son, he had been born to abide by him and succeed him.

We soon reached the Kuran palace, snow had piled up thickly over the yard, Zero was astonished to see Kaname waiting for him at the veranda. The pureblood immediately stood up from his chair and ran out to the open air to greet him as soon as he saw the cab. It was snowing heavily, he only wore a casual white shirt and a pair of black pants, his lips had turned white from coldness. My brother hastily got out of the cab, pulling his freezing bare hands in his warm gloved ones.

"You should stay inside."

"I wanted to see you as soon as you come." Kaname smiled weakly.

"You are silly." My brother felt guilty as brushing off the snow on his shoulders, and tugging him back in.

Actually Zero was the silly one, Kaname was a pureblood, could he really be able to get sick or something? Nevertheless, I admitted it was quite touching. They quickly got inside, a servant took my brother's luggage and brought it to his room. He released the pureblood's hand, but Kaname held his back, and gently took off his glove, he did the same to his other hand, then unzipped his coat, and walked behind his back, helping him to pull it out. Zero didn't protest it, but cooperatively followed his lover to get it done, Kaname even went to the extent of kneeling down to change his shoes. It was warm inside, there's no need for any winter clothes. My brother got more comfortable in a pair of slippers, his head bowed down to look at his lover "Thank you."

"You are welcome." Kaname looked up, smiled with him happily.

In our family's tradition, husband and wife were not equal, the wife must respect, obey and serve their husband as their superior. There were still other strict rules which they must follow which indicated their lower position in the relationship. My brother had been raised in such an environment, he wouldn't think it was wrong to have his wife serve him in the future, however, he hadn't imagined having a twenty year older male to do those things for him. Living independently for ten years in an industrial society, he usually behaved as a modern courteous gentleman, which made his acceptance to receive the pureblood's service have a special meaning, it was his acceptance of their relationship, it was his acknowledgment that the pureblood was his "woman".

"Have you had breakfast?" He asked.

"No. I was waiting for you." His lover shook his head. It had passed nine, over dinner for humans, but it was "morning" for vampires' biological time. Zero had had to work late to finish everything before the holidays, and his phone call with our father made him arrive later than expected.

"Tsk." He couldn't help worrying for the pureblood. They walked into the dining room, where a big meal had been prepared for them.

"You are a doctor, but you don't appreciate your health at all." Zero sat down, looking around the dishes on the table, lots of seafood, which suited his taste.

"I'm fine. You don't have to worry for me."

"Promise me you will eat properly when I'm not here." His gaze was firm.

Kaname blushed a little, lowering his eyes to avoid him "I know how to take care of myself."

That was one of their lovey dovey moments. They didn't hug and kiss as other couples often did, they didn't say any sweet words, they didn't plan anything for future. It was just the other day a year ago, before Zero went back for New Year holidays, the pureblood said to him "_I love you, Kiryuu-kun! Could you be... my boyfriend?_" My brother pondered his confession over the two weeks staying at home, and when he returned, he accepted Kaname without giving him an official answer. I wondered how the pureblood would react if knowing he had just informed his father he had a lover, though hadn't made it clear who that person was.

Kaname poured hot sake in a small glass for each, then put a piece of sushi with shrimp into my brother's plate. Sake spread a subtle scent in the air, Zero was silent. He had tried to act normally while staying with him, but failed to distract himself from thinking about what was waiting for him at home. The atmosphere became heavy with their quietness, even I felt bad for them, though I didn't support their relationship. For a smart and disciplined person as my brother, he should have known better than tying himself in this trouble, yet he would also rather hurt himself than hurt the others. Not that he had never declined anyone. My brother was good-looking, he started receiving many confessions since high school, but usually politely refused their good intentions, he understood our family had arranged a bride for him, when it was right time, they would get married, so he tried not to get things complicated. Yet he hadn't refused Kaname, at the sensitive moment he received the pureblood's confession, he couldn't refuse him, he felt responsible to help someone he was fond of.

"Did something happen?" the pureblood asked tentatively "Could I share your worries?"

My brother sighed, slowly held his look up to find his lover's concern. "Do you... want my blood?"

Kaname was stunned, then panicked "No." He hurriedly answered without a thought. Being a pureblood, it was his instinct to yearn for the fresh blood of the person he loved, yet my brother was a human, he could not, never give his blood to him. Plus, a bite from a pureblood would convert a human into vampire. If they were together, how could my brother fulfill all of his needs? "Yes, I crave for your blood, Zero! But I will never attack you, even in the worst circumstances, I will not attack you. Please trust me!"

"Then how will I satisfy you? All vampires have their partners as their source of real blood, don't they?"

"I'm already satisfied with your acceptance." Kaname said honestly "The blood tablets are enough for me."

I was caught with surprise to hear Zero raise such a question. I hadn't thought he would think about giving or not giving his blood to his lover. As far as I understood him, he wasn't in love with Kaname. He didn't have the pureblood's picture in his room or his wallet, didn't treat his presents as precious things. He was touched, he did concern, but I had never seen him miss him or got excited over his phone call, he never initiated a kiss or made a physical contact if unnecessary, never got the anxious flip-flop in his stomach before going to see him. I wanted my brother to be in love and be happy, that's why I didn't support their relationship. You shouldn't be with someone just because it's good for that person, was I not right? In the long run, it would rotten your relationship and exhaust your life, though I wasn't sure if Zero could ever find a true love, he didn't have a choice. If leaving Kaname, he would have to get married to the woman our family had selected for him, there was no chance for true love.

And I understood why my brother asked his lover about blood thirst now. If they were together just for the pureblood's sake, then was he good enough to be with him? Someone out there could be his ideal match. Unlike him, Kaname had his freedom to look for the person he truly loved. Today my brother got me amazed twice. Firstly, he told our father he had a lover, I wonder if the words just slipped out of his mouth, though he wasn't a short-tempered type who could easily lose his composure to say something in a whim. Secondly, it looked like he wanted a serious conversation with his lover right now. Perhaps it was time, things could no longer be delayed. He must move back in the middle of next year at latest, and his wedding would be likely to take place at the end of the year.

One year ago, he thought it would be better for Kaname to have someone to rely on, to think about, to care for, and he took that role to help him go through a difficult period of his life. Things had changed in a better way, the pureblood was calmer now, and all his routines had returned to normal. What my brother was worrying was to hurt Kaname and pushed him back to the mess he had been in when they first met.

There was a twenty year of age gap between them, which meant the pureblood had already been twenty when we were born. Their lives only crossed when Kaname was forty three, most of his past was unknown to my brother. He had never asked him, because the things he did know were all bad things, he didn't want to dig in the other's wound and made him feel worse. They hadn't stayed together as much as other couples did, or been as close as other couples were. He believed he wouldn't be the right man for Kaname, he wasn't free to love, so he didn't want him to love him too deeply.

"Will Rido-san come home on the New Year's Day?"

"Maybe." Kaname was impassive to talk about his uncle. "I'm not so sure. He's out of touch."

The pureblood's parents had passed away, and Rido was the head of the Kurans, however, he rarely stayed in Hokkaido. He spent his life in the pursuit of pleasure around the world, and only came back a few times a year. After the deceases of his brother and sister, he had returned to take care of his nephew for a while, however, he failed to curb his nasty lust and slept with the younger pureblood. I didn't know how Kaname had struggled during that time, anyway Rido left a year later, after trusting him to Asato Ichijou, his loyal follower. From the pureblood's current emotionless attitude, I assumed he had got over that period. Intermarriage was common in vampire society, then sexual relations between members in the same family wasn't a taboo?

"I will be on duty at the hospital." Kaname said "Could I... call you in the evening? I will let it ring twice only, if it isn't convenient for you to answer, I will hang up."

Did it mean he missed my brother? I knew he liked him, otherwise he wouldn't have tried to date with him and confessed to him. But I wasn't sure if he just needed someone to soothe his feelings or truly loved my brother in particular. He was much older than him, and surely had met many people, what did he see in a twenty year younger hunter that made him fall in love? And I didn't believe Zero could really incline this way. When they first started, I wondered how they would be intimate, but as I said, they had never slept together, so far Kaname always degraded himself in front of my brother, and tried to please him as much as possible. With his effeminate looks, I presumed he might be putting his hardest effort to be my brother's "wife", though it was unlikely to come true.

Zero sighed, he couldn't hold it back any longer. If not telling his lover now, it would be a cheating "My father wanted me to meet my wife-to-be and her family. We are getting married next year."

I was petrified at his statement. It was brave, I didn't expect he could make it so straightforward. Their eyes evaded each other, the pureblood's shoulders trembled, a sob slipped out of his lips, he hastily stood up, sealing his face with a hand "Excuse me.", and running out of the room.

My brother remained on his seat, trying to heave a sigh, managing to pull himself together. He had just broken his lover's heart, he felt awkward to face him. Nothing was worse than hurting the person who loved you. He had been taught to treat people nicely, to return kindness with kindness, to treasure the others' good feelings, but he had just acting as a jerk, he told his lover he was getting married to another woman. The glass of sake was still full, the piece of sushi on his plate was intact, many tasty dishes remained untouched on their dining table. Tonight Kaname wanted to have a special meal with my brother before being separated for two weeks. He had no clue Zero had another plan for them. There was no happy break-up, whether love was involved or not, you would never walk out of a relationship with delight. And as conflicting as it sounded, I didn't support their break-up either.

A couple of hours passed by, Zero eventually rose up, walking back to the hall, where stood a large stair case leading to the upper floor. He had been in this mansion several times in the past year, not knowing all the places, but he definitely could locate his lover's bedroom, which was next to his on the left wing. Kaname had prepared that room for him to rest when he came to stay for the night. They were the type of couple who never saw each other in pajamas. In common view, they even wouldn't be considered close friends. Now standing in front of the closed door, he knocked lightly, calling his lover's name with a soft voice "Kaname."

It took a long ten second until he got a low answer from the other side "It's late. You should take some sleep. Your flight is early tomorrow."

"We need to talk." It seemed my brother had determined to settle it once and for all tonight. I felt really bad, but there was no better solution than this.

"We will when you get back." The pureblood tried to delay it. He probably sensed what Zero wanted to say and wasn't ready to deal with it.

"I haven't eaten."

The door clicked open, Kaname appeared with flushed eyes, tears hadn't totally dried on his face. He looked blanched as a patient with a serious illness, a hand tightened the door knob, the other twiddled his own shirttail, still evading my brother's look.

"I'm sorry." It moved Zero seeing how much the pureblood cared for him that he immediately went out when he said he hadn't eaten dinner yet. Human psychology made people grew a fondness toward the person who treated them specially. My brother didn't love him, not meaning he wasn't pleased to receive his special treatment. That's why people usually tried to do many things for the one they loved in order to win their heart. It was also what Kaname had been doing. Looking over his shoulder, there was a vase of dried roses arranged in a heart shape with tiny white flowers surrounding, wrapped in two layers of white rice paper and red mesh. Zero instantly remembered the bouquet, it was his gift to Kaname last Valentine's Day. They had just started at that time, and it was also the only time he had given a gift to him. He was afraid the pureblood would think of bad memories if not receiving anything on that day. Kaname seemed very happy with those red roses, yet I didn't imagine he would keep them that long in his room.

"Do you... love her?"

"I don't know. I haven't met her yet."

As if receiving courage from my brother's answer, the pureblood reached out to wrap his arms around his neck, sobbing into his ear "Don't forsake me, please! Let me be with you until you fall in love with her."

Their bodies pressed against each other, stuck together as one. You couldn't say you didn't feel anything if someone was holding you that tight. You must feel either rejected or accepted, and in my brother's case, I didn't think he was rejecting him, though couldn't thoroughly understand his words. How could one be with the other knowing that person would fall in love with someone else sooner or later? If he could do that, would he also just leave his lover if falling for another person? Of course people shouldn't stay together if no longer in love, but two persons in a relationship, beside love, there were other issues such as responsibilities, obligations, gratitude which developed from the love they had shared. Did they not matter to him?

"I can't betray my wife. As for a Kiryuu, they will only have one spouse and will be intimate with that one and only all their life."

The arms around my brother loosened, gradually pulled back to disengage their bodies from each other, a desolate smile twisted on his pale face "That's why you have never slept with me. I thought it was because I was a male, you needed more time to accept me, but the truth is you've never intended to open your heart for me. You planned to leave me from the beginning. I don't believe you played with me. Then... why is that, Zero?"

It was painful. I heard my brother's heart shatter into pieces. How come things turned out that way? He had accepted him out of good intentions, but now, it seemed he had caused a deeper wound to him, much worse than the ones in his past. With one more stab, would the pureblood ever be able to fall in love again? Zero wanted to explain, wanted to say he didn't play with him at all, but then what was it? At the end, it still wasn't love, wasn't the same feeling as his lover expected from him.

In those moments, you would comprehend the importance of being honest. Sometimes you thought a lie helped, but telling lies could never be a good thing, it would cause trouble, it would hurt the person you wanted to protect with your dishonesty. My brother was good, yet he was... silly. To this point, I knew he was going to make another mistake, but he wouldn't realize it right away.

"My family have many rules, so strict that become cruel in the others' eyes. You are an outsider, you don't need to care, but I was born to obey them. I would never go against what I have been taught and betray my family. Would you still be willing to go back with me and share the punishment I'm going to receive for my sin?"

"Yes, I will." Kaname looked at him resolutely "Even if I have to die, I will not leave you."

"Even if you are dead, you will not be acknowledged as my wife."

_**- to be continued -**_

_Could you let me know if you would like me to continue this one?_

_I have been struggling to continue my "Feel with your heart" since my last update in August. I know it's terribly, crazily slow :-( I'm still struggling._


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N**:__Thank you for your reviews *hug* This is Chapter 2. I'm proud of my quick update *laugh nervously*_

**Chapter 2**

We left Hokkaido at the same time as scheduled, but not on the flight my brother had booked earlier. In their emotional conversation last night, he had decided to bring his lover back home to meet our parents. It was one of the moments I wished to be able to influence my opinion to him, to tell him it wasn't a good idea. Don't do impossible things! You couldn't make everything you wanted come true, sometimes you should know where to stop. Anyway, we were two separate individuals with two different minds, in spite of being a pair of twins. I guess I just had to improve my tolerance to live with his foolish decisions.

So we were flying on a Boeing private jet with a Kuran crest painted on its trunk. Being rich had its own convenience, you didn't have to depend on the schedule arranged by someone else, you weren't tied to a seat, getting bored for hours, you had the right to require which kind of particular food and beverages to be served. This medium jet, which originally designed to carry around twenty five passengers, had a living area in conjunction with a dining area after the pilot's cabin, where you could also sit down for entertainment or a small discussion. All seats were covered in beige leather, while the panels, tables and cabinets were made of shining lacquered wood decorating with gold frames, fresh orchids arranged delicately at a few places. The next part was a small, yet luxurious bedroom with a comfortable queen-sized bed, where Kaname was sleeping. In general, it was like an expensively-furnished apartment in the cloud.

Zero was now sitting at the L-shape sofa in the living area, reading a book. His book looked old, though every sheet was still perfectly smooth without a light wrinkle, proving the owner had been keeping it very carefully. My brother loved reading, and kept all of his books as his treasure. Before a long journey, he usually put one or two books in his luggage. This particular one was about cardiology, written by Kaname Kuran. He bought it three years ago, before they had a chance to meet, and started admiring him since. I said they were officially introduced to each other by uncle Cross, but it wasn't really their first meeting. Zero had attended many seminars in Hokkaido which Kaname participated as a speaker. He never raised a question, but listened to every word of his, his admiration grew bigger after each seminar, and since he didn't allow himself to fall for any girl, being afraid of creating a trouble for both of them, the only feeling that excited him was his admiration for Kaname Kuran, which he didn't try to suppress, as assumed an admiration from a young man to a senior of the same gender would never grow into love. I didn't doubt that either. Sometimes Zero would ask his classmate to help asking the pureblood some issues which he concerned. Kaname never refused to share his knowledge and experiences, he wouldn't mind to meet the audience after each seminar to answer more of their questions or give them his contact details in case they would like to ask for his advice. But at that time, there was a man, who accompanied him, would patiently wait for him until he finished.

If the pureblood's relationship with that person hadn't had a bad ending, if uncle Cross hadn't introduced him and Zero to each other, my brother would never have initiatively approached him, then his admiration for the talent of a doctor wouldn't have gone so far to the point that he wanted to enter that doctor's personal life to heal his broken heart. He probably thought Kaname would leave him after getting over his ex-lover and realising it wasn't true love between them. It was such an immature thinking, would you forgive him if I said it was because he had no experience in relationships?

An attendant appeared to clear up the empty cup on the low coffee table before him. Zero paused for a second, waiting until she put it on her tray. "Thank you! May I have another cup of coffee?"

"Sure, Zero-san!"

It was his third one within six hours. I didn't know if he really liked coffee, since he never cared about the brands or how it was made. He often drank a lot on hunting missions, before his examinations or when he was pondering on some important issue. Home was getting closer, his pressure was also getting higher. After a few minutes, a new, hot cappuccino was placed in front of him. Being distracted from deep thoughts, he suddenly sensed a strong presence and looked up from his page "I thought you were sleeping."

"I can't sleep." Kaname sat down on the further part of the sofa. He's wearing a plain white shirt and a pair of dark brown pants, yet that shirt, which I bet wasn't by accident, wasn't fully buttoned, and he probably didn't brush his hair before walking out, since it looked a bit curlier than usual. In all, such casual looks made him somehow more appealing. He glanced at my brother, silently watching him stir his coffee and taking a small sip. "Have you… told your family about me?"

"I've told my father I have a lover." Unfortunately, Zero didn't seem to realise his attraction, he deliberately closed the book "But I didn't tell who that person was."

"Is there anything I should do to abate their anger?"

Now it really felt like a girl in the first time seeing her in-laws. I could see the obvious anxiety on the pureblood's face. Poor him, it wasn't easy to walk on this path. He had always been a prince in his family, a superior in his society, someone who was used to be highly respected and obeyed, though in a relationship he seemed to be submissive. I wasn't sure about his ex-lover, but my brother had never given any requests, he actually didn't expect Kaname to do anything for him more than what the pureblood had already done at his free will. Nevertheless, I thought Kaname was right, Zero should prepare him with the customs and behaviours in our family.

"They will not accept you." My brother said firmly "Even if you were a young human girl, they would not accept you."

I stared at him in disbelief. Not that he said something wrong, but the Zero I knew wasn't that straightforward, especially when it would hurt the others. Suddenly I remembered the first time seeing them holding each other. It was when my brother returned to Hokkaido from his home trip and agreed to go out for dinner with Kaname. On their way back, they stopped at a snow-imbued forest, walking together side by side, then the pureblood unexpectedly reached out to hold him from behind, he wrapped his arms around my brother's waist and rested his head on my brother's shoulder. I saw him trembling lightly, perhaps afraid of being rejected. Zero stood still, as if questioning himself for the last time, then finally laid a hand on the shaking embrace. It was his response to the pureblood's confession. As a matter of fact, he didn't completely make up his mind yet, but with his character, he could never push Kaname away in such a situation. They never got into the next step, yet they had walked side by side for a year. It was finally time to finish their momentary relationship, I just disagreed with the method my brother chose to finish it. It would have been better and easier for both of them to let what were in Hokkaido stay in Hokkaido.

Kaname gazed at him fixedly, as if longing for some more words, or at least a soft expression to ease his pain. By inviting him to go home, Zero had sowed a vain hope in his heart about their possible future, yet he coldly closed all doors before they arrived.

"Why?"

"Because a hunter must preserve their virginity until their wedding and their spouse is the one and only who they will sleep with for their whole life." My brother looked straight at his lover, and calmly explained to him about our severe custom "We believe that if dying together, our souls will be judged at the same time and have the chance to plead to be together once more in our next life. It created a custom in our family. When a man dies, his wife must follow."

I shuddered, hearing his tone had turned monotonous as if what he was saying was a normal issue. In fact, Zero hated it. When we were ten, our great uncle passed away, our great aunt wept till both of her eyes swelled up. They hadn't been a happy couple, but she cried as if losing her most important thing. Indeed, she lost her life. She had to commit suicide to go with him. I doubted that they would want to continue their marriage in the next life, but she couldn't oppose our custom. Her eyes were still swollen when they put her in the coffin. We could never forget such image. So Zero had known from the beginning that his relationship with Kaname wouldn't work out. The pureblood was definitely not his right one. He wasn't a virgin for starter. Before my brother, he had had a long term relationship with Takuma Ichijou. Two years ago, they suddenly separated. As you could guess, Zero met him a few months after that, when his state of mind was unsteady. He got involved deeper and deeper to help the pureblood go through his hard time, but the consequence was out of expectation, Kaname fell for him!

"You must despise me. I have lost my virginity and broken up with Ichijou." The pureblood lowered his look, his long curved lashes seemed getting wet, but he was trying to hold the tears back.

"I didn't blame you. We are independent, we have the right to be ourselves, to pursue happiness, to decide our own lives. I don't support those customs." Zero's voice became softer "But they're still my customs, I can't go against them."

"Ichijou didn't want me by his side anymore." Kaname said lowly.

Something happened in their relationship which we didn't know. They weren't the type who would let everyone know about their personal issues, our impression was they still looked like a happy couple till the last time they appeared together. Takuma Ichijou was born in the strongest noble family, he owned a large pharmaceutical company. Rumors said that he had convinced Kaname to invest most of his money into the companies and projects of his family. Although Zero was the pureblood's current boyfriend, he never asked what happened to his investments after they separated.

"Even if you were not happy, or you did not love your husband anymore, you still have to stay together forever." My brother stressed, ignoring the rational reason Kaname had said to explain why he couldn't continue being with his ex-lover. In fact, our customs didn't care about rationality.

It was suddenly darker as cloud covered the sun, coffee heaved in its porcelain cup. My brother's eyes followed Kaname closely as he stood up, walking toward him. Not that the pureblood would tumble down, but he still concerned when his lover moved around when the plane was swinging. Their distance wasn't far, Kaname settled his knees on the floor, holding my brother's waist and tenderly resting his head on my brother's lap. He wanted to be closer to him, it was too obvious in that longing look, or how he prepared himself to attract his attention. Unfortunately, Zero wasn't attracted to males, or wasn't attracted to anyone in general. I had never seen him grow the need to get laid, or masturbate in the shower. Sometimes I had a scary thought that he didn't have a sexual desire at all.

"I love you, Zero! I'm willing to comply with all of your family traditions." Kaname murmured "If you want me in your next life, I will follow you to the Hades."

There was an age gap between them, but that difference didn't display on their looks. After ten years, my brother would look much older, after twenty years, they would be like father and son, and after forty years, Zero would be as old as a grandpa, health declined and passed away. Kaname had never witnessed his beloved ones aging, never had an old man as his relative, would he really have a right understanding of time conception? Would he still love him when he was no longer a young, healthy man as how he was now? Would he still comply with our traditions if it meant his life would be significantly shortened? That was why Zero had to make a cruel thing by bringing him home. Although Kaname had always tried hard to please him, I couldn't help wondering which one he held deeper in his heart, Ichijou or my brother? Thirty years with the first and one year with the latter, countless love makings and sharing his deepest pleasure with the first, and never having slept with the latter. If he could still be able to part ways with Ichijou and fall for another one, how would it be convinced that he was willing to follow my brother through life and death?

"Please remember, Kaname! I don't want any bad thing to happen to you. You have all rights to leave whenever you want. No matter what, I will never hate you."

ZxK

The Kiryuus located in Naha, a coastal city as well as the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, where was blessed with a warm winter. In human society, we were just another family, but in our "world", Kiryuu was a glorious surname. Our ancestor was the first human who had been selected to be trained into a vampire hunter, the first HA president, who had enforced those rigorous regulations among hunters, and especially within his family.

We lived in an ancient mansion built on a ten thousand square meter area. The new head of each generation took the responsibility to repair it, yet maintain its original design, to make sure our home remained in good quality with time. As in traditional style, there was no designated use for each room, any of them could be a living room, dining room, study, or bedroom, since all the necessary furniture was portable, and could be stored in the closets attached to the walls. Even the size of a room could be changed by altering or removing their partitions which made of wood and paper. The block of rooms in the center of the estate belonged to our head and his wife, while other members, including his own children, resided in the rooms which were built separately surrounding his residence.

Kaname stepped in our home without any servant, trailing his own luggage. After passing the wood tower gate, he was alone. This place was different from the outside world, different from anywhere he had ever been, not in what you could see, but in what you perceived with your other senses. The only person he knew and look forward to was my brother, who he had come for, yet that person didn't really love him or believe they could have a future together. People said love was blind, not because your feeling was so strong that you failed to see the other things of the person you loved, but there were things about him which you hadn't had chances to find out, then you were blindly in love. The pureblood quietly followed my brother through a long path of stone, until an old woman came to sight and greeted him with a bow.

"Welcome home, Young Master! Please forgive my excess of my authority, but I must remind you that our home doesn't welcome a vampire."

"He's my guest. I want you to arrange a room for him." Zero said firmly "I will explain it to my father by myself."

The woman gazed at Kaname with her loathing eyes, and pulled out a thin bracelet of silver roses "Then we will do as your wish, but he has to wear it, otherwise his aura would bother everyone and pollute our home."

She was our loyal butler. She had been there when we were born, strict, demanding and smileless. Everyone held her in high regard, even our father respected her as a senior as she had taken care of him since he was a child. And the bracelet in her hand was a powerful anti-vampire thing which would poison their system and make them totally defenseless. In the old time, hunters wore those bracelets to the vampires they constrained in their prisons. The longer they wore it, the weaker they became, a vampire could even be killed just by wearing it for a certain time.

Kaname turned to look at my brother, but he didn't say anything on purpose. There was nothing he could argue about, it was our rules, he didn't promise to protect him in front of our family, he just said the pureblood could leave anytime he wanted. Yamada-san, our butler, stared at Kaname disdainfully, waiting to see his refusal and immediate departure, however, he surprised all of us by holding his free hand out with determination. She smirked, then an excitement of dominating a pureblood rushed over her mind, she quickly wrapped the bracelet around his wrist, and clicked its two ends together, satisfactorily seeing it clasp painfully to his flesh and burn a dark circle on his skin. The pureblood aura instantly vanished, his expression turned blanched, sweat of fright dripped off his forehead. It must be the first time in his life experiencing powerlessness. Let not talk about a hunter with an anti-vampire weapon, even a human could easily beat him up now.

"Young Master, your bath has been ready." Yamada-san told my brother, then turned to the unaided, vulnerable pureblood "Kaname Kuran, let me show you your room."

She had never asked for his name, but recognised him right at first sight. There wasn't many purebloods, and as the butler of the Kiryuus, she knew all of them quite well. She hated vampires, it was like fire and water couldn't be together. I had predicted there would be a lot of stresses and pressures in this home trip, and we were now experiencing the first obstacle. Kaname looked at my brother again, waiting for his approval.

"Go with her." This time, Zero gave him his words. The pureblood nodded, obediently parted ways with him to follow her. He could no longer defend himself, he even couldn't stay with his lover, but he still chose to trust him and did what he said. Before they disappeared at the corner, he looked back to find my brother, who hastily turned away and walking toward another direction.

ZxK

An hour later, Zero came to find him in his room. Yamada-san had arranged for him a small room in the same block of the rooms preserved for our servants. It wasn't where we normally hosted our guests. There was no decoration, and the room was made of lower quality materials, furnished with inexpensive furniture. Kaname had showered and got ready in a black suit. What he was dressing was an extreme contrast with where he was staying, nobody could imagine a Kuran would be in such a situation one day. He smiled with Zero, honestly from his heart. I didn't know if Yamada-san had said anything else to him or how the servants treated him, but it seemed he didn't mind them all, his look only had my brother, patiently waited for him.

"We wear kimono at home. I brought you mine."

His eyes glittered with joy, receiving the costume from Zero, and tenderly fondling the fabric as if it was something invaluable.

"Do you know how to wear it?" My brother asked. It sounded a bit silly, yet he had never seen his lover in kimono, most of the time Kaname was in suit.

The pureblood smiled "I can manage it."

"Let me help you."

Kaname was stunned, yet my brother seemed calm. He probably didn't recognise the thin border between nudeness and sex yet, he just wanted to get it done fast and properly.

"OK. I'll take my clothes off first." He said.

I suddenly felt hot, and realised my own presence was inappropriate. Maybe I should turn away. This show was definitely not for me, however, I seemed to be the one who was being affected most. Kaname had pulled the jacket off, and started opening his cuff links and buttons of his shirt. Pale skin exposed little by little, finally the shirt was lowered and fell down, his tiny nipples were proud on blushing pink aureoles, broad shoulders, yet two sides curved thinner forming a slim waist, belt and pants were also taken off, revealing a very flat belly and those long, straight legs, beautiful as a statue. All of a sudden, I was startled to find myself enjoying looking at another man. Yes, a man, and I was thinking he looked beautiful. His beauty somehow caught my eyes, drew me in, urged me to look longer, more careful, and as a young, healthy man, I gave in to my instinct, gluing my attention to his gorgeousness. At last, I figured out the trick. He was totally hairless. His skin was all smooth and shiny, his slender body spared you the gross feeling of gazing at someone of your same gender. In other words, Kaname was a man with an appeal of a woman. It made me remember the term "third gender", which identified the type of people who considered themselves neither male or female, and tended to be sexually attracted to people whose gender was similar to their biological one.

While I was still being mesmerised, my brother had picked up the light undergarment and was putting it on for his lover. His motions were careful and relaxing, however, it seemed he was highly concentrated to make sure they were relaxing. He paused a little behind his lover's back, and decided to lower his eyes once more.

"Is it... comfortable to wear your briefs?"

He had never seen those tiny briefs, or you could say he never thought such things existed. Women's underwears were meant to be sexy, and for men, we were familiar with boxers. Yet what Kaname was wearing was the low waist mesh piece which obviously wasn't designed to cover anything. His private place under the see-through material was smooth-shaven, and you could see a part of the seducing cleavage from his rear, the tiny black triangle was there, yet totally failed to hide his round cheeks.

"I'm wearing them for you." The pureblood answered, and as Zero stared at him in confusion, he smiled "I usually prepare myself thoroughly before seeing you."

Kaname wasn't a teenager, he was forty five, and had been in a thirty year relationship with Takuma Ichijou. For someone who had been embraced at an early age and got used to having a man every night, he must be very lonely since starting with my brother. It sounded lustful to hear he usually get ready to have sex with him, but Zero didn't have any sexual desire for Kaname, then weren't all his preparations meaningless? We often heard that before a ritual or a special occasion, all participants were required to purify themselves by having a thorough bath, and only eating vegetarian food. If just lust, he would have easily gone out and gotten as many men as he wanted, yet he had stayed faithful. If Zero hadn't asked him to take his clothes off, he wouldn't have known what underwear Kaname was wearing, just as he hadn't known the pureblood was usually ready for him. There was a big difference between men and women. The man only had one place to receive his lover completely, but that place wasn't originally designed for such purpose and wasn't naturally clean. To make sure it would be a quite pleasant and enjoyable experience for his lover, he had to clean himself thoroughly before they made love. Perhaps each time seeing my brother was a special occasion to Kaname, and his preparation was an act of love and respect, a fact that he loved, he cared, he considered my brother his true lover, who had all rights to require his service, anywhere he wished, anytime he wanted, and his submission to him was no less than how he had submitted to Ichijou, or how women submitted to their husbands.

"I will wait until you make me yours." His voice was gentle, yet resolute.

My brother's face reddened, he pretended not to pay attention and focus on dressing him up.

ZxK

It all started with a good intention to help him overcome his hard time. Kaname hadn't fallen head over heals in love with Zero since their first meeting. In fact, he was reluctant as my brother persisted to lengthen their conversation, but the latter could hardly let him go after admiring him for a long time. Not that he didn't see his indeliberate unwillingness, and eventually found out the reason from uncle Cross, he decided to contact him again to get closer. He was aware of their opposite standings, aware the pureblood was into men, yet refused to let such a talented doctor waste his life in misery. He wanted him to continue his work of saving more human lives, he wanted to see him in his brightest glory, without thinking about the possibility of something occurring from their closeness. Since Kaname started actively calling my brother, I saw it was coming...

Zero was now taking him to the main building, where our parents stayed. As their son, the first thing after returning home and changing back to our traditional outfit was to come to greet them. However, he wasn't coming alone. Our father had got fiercely angry with him on the phone, I wouldn't imagine anything merry was waiting for us there. Yamada-san met us at the entrance, and raised a hand to stop the pureblood.

"Young Master, Grandmaster is waiting for you inside, but vampires aren't allowed to walk through this entrance."

Without looking at her, my brother knelt down on his knees "Then I will have to greet you from here. Otou-san, Okaa-san, I have returned."

_**- to be continued -**_

_Posted: 26 January 2013_

_Could you let me know what you think about this chapter?_


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N_**_: Thank you for your reviews! I'm very obsessed with them, so I always look for more! :-)_

_Sometimes I think it's easier to have a narrator, it helps me write faster! But then in some paragraphs I can't describe the characters' feelings deeply, because my narrator doesn't understand the other characters that well._

_Yes, my narrator of this story is Ichiru, he is with Zero all the time, but nobody sees him or knows he's there. Since he's telling the story, he can only tell the scenes where his brother participates in, what he sees, what he thinks. He is very close to Zero and understands him most of the time, however, he isn't usually right. And he doesn't know Kaname at all, so what he talks about the pureblood is simply his own view, his own analysis, it takes time for him to get to know Kaname more and understand him correctly._

_Here is the next chapter:_

**Chapter 3**

"Young Master, you must enter the room and say your greetings properly." Yamada-san said with a stern voice. Her words reminded me of our childhood time, when she was teaching us about all the rules and manners. I still remembered how nervous we got every time she called our names. She would never be rude and her behaviors were usually respectful, yet she imposed her stringent requirements and forced us to follow them, stressing that they were our own family's rules which enforced by our own ancestor. Yes, our own heritage, but thanks to her, they were strictly preserved and complied with from our grandparents to our parents and his siblings, and now my brother and cousins.

"I would like to introduce Kaname to my parents. Can you ask if they agree to meet us?" Zero requested firmly, still not looking at her. Through his calm expression, I realised he had grown up, there was no more unsure fear as in our childhood, he no longer let anyone threaten him or force him to do something against his will.

Yamada-san stared at him for a while, finally she had to give in and went to ask for our parents' decision. A couple of minutes later, she returned and lowered her voice "Both of you can go in."

"Thank you."

My brother didn't have to say it, yet he said it to ease Yamada-san's pride which he had just hurt. She wasn't used to being disobeyed, and in her eyes, Zero was like a little grandson. I knew she was disappointed and offended by his action. We walked into a large room where was designated as a living room, our father stayed here most of the time when he's home as it looked out a beautiful bamboo garden which he could never got tired of looking at. The floor is covered with straw mats in our traditional style, and the sliding doors were made of wood and paper which were painted on either side in ink and light color. Those paintings had been done by the great painter Kose Kanaoke since the ninth century. They were the few of his works which were still survived nowadays. Time seemed to stay still forever in this place, a hundred years ago it was such ambiance, and a hundred years later, it would be still similar.

Zero took a quick look at our parents, who were sitting on the square floor cushions at a low oak table placed in the middle of the room. There were two other cushions on the opposite side, yet he stopped from a distance and knelt down. Father looked serious, but mother looked worried. We hadn't seen each other for a whole year, unluckily, because of his 'wrongdoing', the delight of our gathering turned into displeasure.

"Otou-san, Okaa-san!" My brother bowed his head deeply. Kaname also knelt down beside him.

"It's alright for Zero to do so. But we won't receive your bow, Kuran! Aren't we the same age? You're even older than my wife." Our father stopped him when he was about to make a reverent greeting gesture. Right in his first sentence, he had shown firm objection toward their relationship.

Before the pureblood opened his mouth, my brother replied on his behalf. "Kaname is my lover. I wanted to bring him home to see you."

Our mother anxiously glanced at our father after hearing those bold words, but his countenance remained calm as if he had been prepared for this meeting, certainly Yamada-san had reported to them what was going on since we came back.

"How far have you gone in this affair? Have you slept with him?"His question was quite blunt.

"I haven't."

It was like father, like son, they could talk about this issue straightforwardly and calmly as though there was nobody else in the room. Of course our father was concerned about it, to decide whether he would punish Zero or whether the arranged marriage could still proceed. A sigh of relief came out from our mother, she flashed a brief smile "We have chosen a good day for your wedding, Zero! It's time to meet your fiance. She is a daughter of Takamiya-san, Aimi Takamiya, nineteen years old, she is also studying medicine."

"Kaname wants to be with me." Zero turned their attention to the guest we were having, who was beside him, silently following their conversation. Maybe his presence had never been ignored completely as now, and the people around him were talking about his lover's marriage as if he didn't exist. My brother had neither said he loved him or wanted to share his life with him, as his words to our parents, Kaname wanted to be with him, not vice versa. After all the pureblood was an outsider, and our parents didn't think he was a big problem anymore, since Zero confirmed they hadn't slept with each other.

"I didn't expect to see you at my home, as my son's lover, Kuran!" Our father smirked. He had been very angry on the phone, however, he seemed much calmer in person. "Did you ever tell Zero we knew each other, or my wife used to doubt your feelings for me? Even Ichijou, your boyfriend, felt it was weird."

"No, I have never liked you romantically, Kiryuu-san!" Kaname opposed.

"I'm not interested in finding it out, before or now. But I remember telling you to stay away from me." Our father said coldly, then turn to our mother "Didn't you use to ask if Kuran liked me?"

"Actually..." She stuttered.

"I just asked you..." Our father lowered his voice "... yes or no."

"Yes."

Zero managed to stay emotionless, but nobody could really be unaffected to hear such thing. It sounded like he had been cheated. Last year he accepted to be the pureblood's new boyfriend to help him get over his broken love. He wanted to help him rebalance his life, but deep inside he never believed they could become a real couple. We were isolated from the outside world by our customs and traditions. My brother didn't want to grow any feeling for any girl because he knew he couldn't marry the person of his own choice. Talking about relationship and marriage to us meant talking about life and death. Love wasn't the element, but our rigorous customs were what tied the married couple forever. Modern people found it unacceptable. And Kaname, he had got over his thirty year relationship with Ichijou and fallen for Zero within six months, this fact shaded all the efforts he had tried to win my brother's heart. If it wasn't the only reason, then it was the main reason why Zero had brought him home, I supposed he wanted to show Kaname their chance to be together was impossible, and the pureblood would retreat after finding it difficult.

But now he learned that his lover used to like our father. Didn't it make him an inadequate substitute if it didn't make Kaname an impudent jerk? Of course we knew our father had been sent to Hokkaido for training at the HA headquarters, hence, also completed his study there. I assumed he and the pureblood knew each other, and that's probably why Zero didn't tell our father immediately on the phone who his lover was, but I couldn't imagine something like 'Kaname had feelings for our father and made our mother jealous'. It worsened his image in my brother's view as he had always believed the pureblood was truly and deeply in love with Ichijou.

"I don't need to bring our customs to disapprove this relationship. Even as a normal family, I will not accept someone like you to pursue my son." Our father said "New Year's day is coming, I don't want to keep an outsider in my family. Please pack up and leave tomorrow morning."

I wouldn't say about the gloomy look on our mother's face or the triumphant look on Yamada-san's, I even wouldn't say about my brother's expression, because it was hard to describe it. His face didn't show any emotions, it turned blank as though nothing mattered in this moment. I guessed he would feel sad if things turned out the way he expected, Kaname left after being rejected and offended by our family. But reality was simpler, now I understood why our father was calmer than on the phone. When he knew it was Kaname, he knew exactly how to separate them. No need to mention a word about our customs, he just revealed an ugly fact in the pureblood's personality. It hurt Zero, because at the end he realised he didn't understand his lover as he thought. The Kaname Kuran in his imagination wasn't only a great doctor, my brother believed he was also a faithful lover, who treasured love more than anything else. So he's afraid the pureblood would destroy his life after breaking up with Ichijou, and decided to step in to comfort him. Ironically, it's just his imagination. Kaname hadn't loved his boyfriend that much, he even dreamed of another man while still being together with him. So what Zero had done for him, and all his feelings, respect, admiration and compassion, were shattered in one instant. He simply nodded when our father suggested arranging a meeting with uncle Takamiya's family tomorrow morning. They quickly finished the meeting, and he walked out as a defeated, head down, both arms loosely by his sides.

"Zero, don't be late for dinner. Everyone is waiting to see you." Our mother stuttered gently after his back. She must want to talk more to him, to ask him in details, to comfort him. Nevertheless, it was the first time he had a lover and brought his lover home. Our mother had never fallen in love before getting married to our father, and I believed two of us were her great love in this life. I had hurt her terribly, Zero was now her only hope, her only meaning for living. Yet she couldn't talk much in front of our father, I really hoped my brother would come to see her alone after calming himself down.

ZxK

We returned to the small room, where Yamada-san had arranged for Kaname, and sat down together at a light yellow pine table, these hard cushions were wrapped in worn-out, faded covers, even though the sliding door was shut up, it's quite easy if somebody wanted to overhear us.

"You can leave right now. I will help you rent a hotel room until Seiren comes to pick you up." My brother offered, knowing the jet had taken off after they arrived.

"I didn't like Kiryuu-san in a romantic way." Kaname looked very pale and he trembled lightly, though the weather was much warmer here. He wanted to hold my brother's hand, but stopped in the middle of his act, just using his entreating look to beseech him.

"Are you saying my parents lied to me?" Zero glared at him, trying to control his composure. He had never shouted in anger, never lost his temper no matter how he was feeling. But if you were close to him, you could still say whether he was happy or upset, just wasn't sure the intensity of his emotion. I somehow got it as a bitter sarcasm. Now he was all angry and dangerous, but he needed to be comforted more than ever.

"No... They..." Kaname uttered "... misunderstood..."

"Then what did you do to make them misunderstand your intentions?" Zero challenged. It's the kind of feeling when you found out the person you have a liking for was totally opposite to what you had imagined. Some people would want to have a friend to listen to their ramblings, to give them a big hug, to say everything would be fine, but some other people preferred to be alone and struggle to soothe their emotions on their own. My brother didn't share his problems with anyone, even to Kaname, he had never told his lover what he was concerning about. The other day, the pureblood suggested him taking his two-year internship at Kuran General Hospital, instead of returning to his home town and started in the hospital where he would work for. His training period had finished, both of them knew he would have to leave sooner or later. The Kiryuus were attached to Okinawa, just as the Kurans to Hokkaido. They knew they couldn't be together. Yet Zero seemed to have agreed with his lover's suggestion to stay for two more years, I had wondered if he didn't want to leave Kaname yet or didn't want to get married early since he had used to being a solitude loner.

"I wanted to... see you." The pureblood murmured, and earned a confusing look from my brother. What he said was just difficult to comprehend.

Their intensity was ruined as the black smartphone on the table made a vibrating sound, and the sentence "Takuma Ichijou is calling..." appeared on its big screen. I didn't blame Kaname for keeping his ex-boyfriend's number, as they surely still maintained other relations after love. The Ichijous were the Kurans' loyal followers for generations, and they might have some business connections which related to each other, though I had never seen Ichijou call him when Zero was around in the past year.

Kaname didn't intend to pick it up. It rang out, and the next attempt from the noble came immediately. They still kept in touch. It wasn't a problem, yet it's not good-timing to be reminded in this moment. Zero had grown up into a man, but his years were like a blank page, he had experienced nothing, except training and studying. On the contrary, there was an unconfirmed rumor that Kaname had lost his virginity to his uncle, Rido Kuran, and everyone was used to seeing him with Ichijou since they were kids, as Asato Ichijou took them to all events he attended. There were many things about the pureblood which my brother didn't know. Speaking of blindness, their table had been turned, Zero was actually the one who nurtured his feelings based on his sole imagination.

The phone continued vibrating as Ichijou's third attempt followed the previous ones. My brother stood up "Answer it!"

"Zero! Please..." Kaname hastily grabbed his wrist "... stay!"

He didn't want to talk to his ex boyfriend behind my brother's back, probably afraid it would worsen his hard feeling. I didn't think he was cheating on Zero, just the way he loved and appreciated love were different than our morality required. My brother finally couldn't reject him. After he settled down, the pureblood pressed "Answer" and "Speaker" to share his conversation with him.

"Hai."

"Kaname, where are you now?" The other side seemed to be in a great hurry.

"I'm not in Hokkaido." The pureblood said evenly.

"I know. I've tried all means to seek for you. Where are you now?"

Kaname glanced at my brother, and asked with caution "What is the problem... Ichijou?"

He deliberately called his family name to remind him of their current situation. They were no longer lovers, he didn't have to tell him where he was. It seemed to make him see some reason, Ichijou paused a second and slow down "I'm sorry. But Tsubasa needs an emergency heart surgery. We are in Naha, Okinawa, he suddenly got a heart attack. I... I... Please Kaname, I only trust you. Can you come right now? I beg you... Tsubasa can't wait, I... need him... I would have never contacted you if there's another way. Kaname... "

I had never heard of that name, but he must be an important person to Ichijou, and a human, because a vampire wouldn't have a serious health problem. So it was the reason why he was looking for Kaname urgently. Of course the pureblood could use his power to come in an instant from wherever he was. However, he was coincidentally in Naha, and his powers had coincidentally been blocked by the hunter bracelet. He looked at my brother for permission. Wanting to operate on his ex-boyfriend's new lover, yet he would do it if only Zero allowed it.

My brother never rejected any chance to save a life. Understood the emergency, he quickly gave a light nod, and Kaname answered to Ichijou "I'll be there."

ZxK

The family waiting area before the operation room was empty, except two men sitting on a long bench. One was resting his head on his hands, tired from waiting and anxiety. It had been six hours since the operation started and the light of the signage box seemed to be bright forever. The other was leaning straightly on his grey backrest, also waiting, yet unsure what he was waiting for. This time, he was the person who accompanied Kaname, and was staying outside while the other worked. This role used to belong to Ichijou. After finishing the phone call, the pureblood got changed, and he drove him to the hospital where this operation had got ready. Then he met Ichijou, and both of them sat down to wait for their lovers.

I didn't know if it was appropriate to call Kaname my brother's lover, Zero didn't want anybody to find out about their relationship, and the pureblood still said he was alone in the past year, but he would call or email him every other day, and tried to arrange a meeting on the weekends, most of the time just for a dinner, sometimes would be at his house, where they were completely in private, the pureblood's face apparently sparkled with joy, though all they did was speak to each other. Sometimes I thought he was the only one who could stand my brother's indifferent trait. If they loved each other, I wouldn't oppose it. But was it love?

"Is Kaname happy?"

Zero was startled with such sudden question and glanced at Ichijou. The noble smiled "You are a copy of your father, Zero-kun, very handsome! I'm not surprised to see Kaname with you."

"What do you mean?" My brother successfully controlled his emotions, but his voice had turned harsh, probably because he hadn't spoken for hours.

"Have you heard about The Fated Lover? When an infant meets his fated lover, he will get overexcited." Ichijou might feel bored from waiting and wanted to entertain themselves with some legend "I see Kaname hasn't told you. You can't say it's nonsense, and babies less than one year old just stare at everyone around them. How many people on this world have met their fated lover when they're in the cradle? You know, many of them never have a chance to meet their true other half all their life, that's why there are so many break-ups, so many divorces, and even those who stayed married till their last breath, they're not truly happy."

My brother had changed his look back to his front, ignoring the noble's rambling, yet Ichijou continued with a soft smile "Babies have a sixth sense, they can realise their fated lover and get excited when that person is around. Unfortunately, we can't realise them anymore after the first year, and life will bring us a lot of wrong ones. We vampires have a wish to be tied with our true other half, so when a baby was born, many single vampires will come to visit and see if the baby is our fate." Ichijou looked vaguely further as if recalling a pleasant memory "Tsubasa is my fated lover. He reached his tiny hands toward me when I first met him. Only staying by his side made me feel true happiness."

"Then why did you choose Kaname?"

"Kaname was already my lover at that time. My grandfather let us stay in the same room, so we started at a very early age." Ichijou corrected my brother, and suddenly covered his mouth "Oops, sorry! I shouldn't say those details to you. But you don't have to worry. You are Kaname's fate. He's instinctively drawn to you. When Kiryuu-san was studying in Hokkaido, he and I used to be friends. Once his wife brought the newborn twins to visit him, and he wanted to show them off with us. I remember you and your little brother were six months or so, as soon as you entered the room, you immediately got noisy and insisted Kaname to hold you. Chairman Cross took a photo of you having a big smile in his embrace. Have you seen it?"

Zero didn't have any comments, and Ichijou didn't care about his reaction "Kiryuu-san got bothered as Kaname came almost every day to meet you. Then he learned that Kaname liked men and assumed he himself was the target, so he banned him to step in his place and even ended our friendship when he found out about our relationship. But chairman Cross still sent your photos and video clips to Kaname all those years. I'm really not surprised to see you with him now."

"If both of you had found your fates, then why did you still stay together? Should I be happy because if I wasn't his, and his fate just showed up right here, right now, then he would throw me away to follow him," Zero kept a soft voice, yet sarcastic "... or still stay with me for twenty years until that person grew up."

I was wondering exactly the same thing. It's too pathetic, my brother and I were too pathetic to feel bad for Kaname and drowned in his mess. Twenty five years ago he had met Zero and known they were fated. If truly appreciated this meaning and wanted to be with him, the pureblood should have got ready for him since. Earlier I was touched to hear he usually clean himself up before seeing my brother and thought it was an act of sincere love and respect. But no, in twenty five years since he knew Zero was his fate, he still slept with Ichijou. They only separated when their fates had grown up. And what was the meaning of his submission and obedience? What if Zero wasn't his fate, would he still want to be with him?

"I owe Kaname." Ichijou sensed my brother's irritation "but I can't make up for him. I hope he will be happy. He deserves happiness."

Familiar words, sounded so nice, easy for you to win everybody's sympathy without an actual action. He was now together with Tsubasa, his fate, and needed Kaname to cure him, then what kind words would he not be willing to talk about the pureblood? At least it's now clear that Kaname was honest to say he had never liked our father romantically, and I understood what he meant by saying he wanted to see Zero. He came over everyday to be with my brother and got our parents misunderstand his intentions. The noble's strange tale failed to entertain them, they sank in silence until the signage light finally blew out.

Ichijou quickly stood up, running to his lover's bed which was moving out and following them to the recovery room. Kaname was the last person walking out in his blue surgery uniform, looking quite pale. "Zero!" He whispered and rushed to my brother as not seeing his intent to go to him. Not bothering if anyone would see them, he fell into his chest "Take me back!" With it he passed out. Zero had to hold his body to keep him from falling down.

ZxK

My brother had reached his limit. Maybe the invisible bond of fate explained why he had accepted an ambiguous relationship with Kaname, why he had highly admired him and wanted to be close to him. Yet they hadn't a happy ending, because our customs didn't allow them to be together, and from the bottom of his heart, Zero painfully realised the pureblood wasn't a great person as he imagined. Sometimes we couldn't help feeling very bad when someone beautiful, talented, someone we respected, we looked up to, turned out to be a not-so-good person in their personal life. Or perhaps it's simply a culture difference. I couldn't blame Kaname if Rido Kuran was really his first man, or he had slept with Ichijou in his early teenage. It must be an arrangement by Asato Ichijou to win more influence in the vampire society. And it was just his instinct to feel an urge to be with my brother and submit to him. Unfortunately, for a person who had been taught to appreciate loyalty, faithfulness, virginhood and purity, Zero could hardly accept him.

Nevertheless, he had brought him here, he had to take responsibility until Kaname safely returned to Hokkaido. A doctor who was also a vampire, helped to arrange a room and blood transfusion for the worn-out pureblood. It could be done orally, but the doctor checked and informed that Kaname was having problem with swallowing, and in this hospital, it's better to do a normal blood transfusion. It was almost eleven pm, after a long day with lots of pressures and no food, anyone could be exhausted, however, both of them saw symptoms that Kaname had been poisoned. His left wrist was bandaged tightly, my brother knew it was where the hunter bracelet was. He carefully undressed it, and they were shocked to see what exactly had been put on. A thin chain of twenty silver roses with thorns. It wasn't the type which hunters wore to their prisoners in the old times as he thought. This bracelet was specially used for vampires under torture and wasn't expected to be on longer than an hour. Zero hadn't looked at them when Yamada-san put it on the pureblood, and Kaname had silently suffered it for ten hours. Now the bracelet was wrapping around his blackened bones, flesh on his wrist had been burnt and vanished. That's why he had to bandage it up. It must be very painful right in the first moment and he could guess how it would damage his body, yet he didn't say a word. He had asked for my brother's opinion when Yamada-san required him to wear it. I remembered Zero didn't say anything, expecting Kaname to refuse and leave. The pureblood got it that he had to depart if not accepting her request, so he chose to go along.

"Do you want to kill Kuran-sama?" The vampire doctor ground his teeth.

My brother ignored him, and took the bracelet off, gently put his wounded arm along his side. Kaname was still unconscious, closed eyes, chapped lips, completely trusting his life in his lover's hands. Before passing out, he asked Zero to take him back, not removing the bracelet or giving him blood, which were what he urgently needed to be recovered. He wanted to be with him. Perhaps his only worry was Zero would leave him after hearing he liked our father. I didn't know how far the pureblood would be willing to go for my brother, and why did he have to do it? It's not like one couldn't not be with their fated lover, one could choose to be with anybody he wanted, sooner or later I believed Kaname would have to accept that he had no chance with my brother.

ZxK

Zero had missed our family dinner for Kaname, but he couldn't be absent in the meeting with uncle Takamiya's family. After a sleepless night, he returned home alone, showered and got changed. He appeared with a colorless face and temperate gestures. The fathers were face to face, aunt Takamiya and her daughter sat on one side, our mother was on the other side. My brother swiftly settled next to her and bowed to greet our special guests "Oji-san, Oba-san, Aimi onee-chan! How are you?"

"Zero-kun, we haven't met for a long time. You've grown up!" Uncle Takamiya smiled openly "I heard you achieved the supreme level. Nobody has ever got it as young as you are."

Our father and uncle Takamiya were childhood friends, both of them had been trained by the same mentor, but their results were quite different. Uncle Takamiya still wasn't qualified to be a senior hunter, though he had tried his best. In his young age, he had done nothing else, but training, however, his hard work didn't reward him much. He earned a monthly salary as a member of the Hunter Branch of Okinawa, where our father was the Chief, it was also the only income in their family, so they had always been careful in spending their limited budget. Luckily, his son, Kaito Takamiya was smarter and currently working at the HA in Hokkaido, while Aimi stayed with them at home.

"Thank you for your compliment! I still have to learn a lot." Zero answered politely.

"We are thankful that you still want to keep the engagement between our children." Aunt Takamiya said humbly. This arrangement had been settled since Aimi was born and my brother was six, based on the good friendship between the two families, despite of our social statuses.

"Actually we are fortunate to have Aimi as our daughter-in-law." Our mother smiled, looking at her son's future wife contentedly.

"We are pleased to hear you studying medicine. It will take a long time. Please don't be offended, we would like to sponsor for your study." Our father offered.

It took six or seven years at school, two years for internship and more years until you can make money as a doctor, while it cost eight million yen per year for tuition fee, no kidding. I wouldn't say it's a career for rich people, but not easy to follow if your family were poor. Kaito worked at Cross Academy, with two incomes as a teacher and a hunter, he could support himself quite well and help his family a little, however, it would be a burden if Aimi didn't work for the next ten years and aunt Takamiya's health wasn't really good. Our father had always tried to help them, but now with the marriage, he had a good reason to help his old friend's family to resolve their financial problems.

"Thank you for your kindness. We knew we couldn't afford to let Aimi go to medical school." Aunt Takamiya said honestly "There is a benefactor who has sponsored her study since high school."

"Oh, who is that kind person?" Our father asked curiously.

"He doesn't want to tell anyone, but I don't hide it in my family." Aimi replied "It's uncle Kuran in Hokkaido."

It was like a thunder over our ears. My brother's eyes glowed "Kaname Kuran?"

"Yes. I hope it is alright. We have been in a peace treaty, uncle Kuran is a very kind person." Aimi still didn't get what was going on in our minds. If she was a guy, with what had been revealed since yesterday, I wouldn't be amazed to hear Kaname pursuing a young boy. However, Aimi was a girl, then what was his purpose?

"How did you know him?" Our father asked.

"I met him when I was in Hokkaido for a summer training four years ago. We met at uncle Cross's house, he introduced me to uncle Kuran as... Zero's fiance." Aimi shyly lowered her reddening face "Uncle Kuran said Zero was studying medicine. We would be closer and understand each other easier if I also became a doctor. He promised to pay for my school fees, with the only condition was I would try my best to study and be a good wife for Zero in the future."

While everybody was perplexed, something dawned in my mind. Twenty five years ago, Kaname realised my brother was his fated lover, yet he had already been in a relationship with Ichijou. I blamed him for not leaving the noble if wanting to be with Zero, but what if he didn't originally want to be with my brother, in other words, he didn't plan to leave Ichijou? He came to meet Zero until our father banned him, he followed his development through the photos and video clips uncle Cross recorded, yet he never approached him since my brother relocated to Hokkaido ten years ago. He was reluctant in their first meeting, and it was Zero, who initiatively pursued him. If putting things together, it's obvious that Kaname didn't see his relationship with Ichijou would be broken up, he even wanted to get to know Aimi and assist her to become a good match for my brother. All those years, he had chosen to pass his fate to maintain his present love. Maybe he couldn't ignore Zero after knowing him, but Kaname wasn't the type as my brother said earlier, he wasn't sleeping with another person while waiting for his fate to grow up. He slept with Ichijou because in those years he loved him.

"Do you know about... his personal life?" Zero suddenly asked.

"You mean... I know uncle Kuran is homosexual. But I know nothing more than that." Aimi said.

"Does he still pay your school fees?" My brother continued.

Of course he wanted to get more details. Last year Kaname had asked him to be his boyfriend. Although what the pureblood had done to Aimi came from a good intention, it became meaningless since he fell for Zero. Now Kaname surely didn't want them to get married, then what about his arrangement with her?

"Yes. He usually pays for the full year at once. He has paid this year for me last month." Aimi answered him smoothly, then turned to our parents "Oji-san, Oba-san, I have a petition. Could you please approve it?"

"Aimi?" Uncle Takamiya was stunned.

But she neglected his surprise "I would like to postpone our wedding until I graduate."

"Aimi, what are you saying?" Her parents were shocked. Our mother also couldn't believe in her ear.

It's only our father was calm. "Is it... Kuran's condition?"

"No. It's my own thinking. I want to study in Hokkaido and take care of my brother." Aimi said clearly "I'm afraid of not being able to fulfil my role as a wife and a mother while I'm still in school."

It was true. Many women had to have their education unfinished forever if getting married early. Our mother had had to delay her study to get married and have children. Aimi's reason sounded rational, however, it's hard to accept when Kaname was involved.

"You don't have to worry. As I said, I will sponsor your study." Our father repeated "You don't have to do what that vampire asks."

"It's really my own thinking. I'm just nineteen years old, I don't know how to make Zero-san happy." Aimi was gentle, yet she had already made up her mind.

"Shut up!" Her father was furious "Apologise to uncle Kiryuu!"

Uncle Takamiya was about to beat her right in front of us, Zero rapidly pulled her back and ran with her out of the room. We still heard noise behind, but it would be fine soon if they thought this chance was a good idea for them to get to know each other.

My brother brought Aimi to a bench in our garden and let her sob in silence. It seemed modern world was destroying our traditions. Zero took a lover home, and now Aimi suggested delaying their wedding. Those thoughts could never occur in our previous generations. At our time, we wanted willingness and volunteering. As far as I understood my brother, he wouldn't surrender to fate, however, he wouldn't violate our traditions, unless there was someone who deserved for him to do it. He hadn't thought it was Kaname, because he didn't believe the pureblood truly loved him. Taking him back home, he was prepared to see him go. However, I wondered if in the deepest corner of his heart, he ever hoped for a slight possibility that Kaname would stay till the end, and what would he do in such circumstance? It was a challenging journey for both of them, and many things were unexpectedly revealed which led our presumption change from one end to the other.

"Is it really not... Kuran's condition?"

"No. He doesn't like me or anything." Aimi shook her head "He knew I would marry you when I was twenty. But I'm not ready for it. I feel scared to take the big responsibility. I thought your parents would be more understanding."

On the contrary, our father was less understanding! I really felt worried for Aimi if uncle Takamiya considered her a disgrace. With her character, she wouldn't comply with our rigorous customs, hence, wouldn't be accepted into our family. Again the image of our great aunt being put in her coffin with swollen eyes flashed in my mind, and I remembered the pureblood's words "_I love you, Zero! I'm willing to comply with all of your family traditions. If you want me in your next life, I will follow you to the Hades._"

_**- to be continued -**_

_Posted: __3 Feb 2013_

_Could you let me know what you think about this chapter?_


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N_**_: Thank you for your reviews! This update is a bit late, which is a bad sign :-( I think there are two chapters left till a happy ending._

**Chapter 4**

Our home was surrounded by a large garden in a ten thousand square meter area. Every morning when you woke up and looked out of the window, an immensity of greenness would say hi to you, every evening when you returned, serenity of nature was waiting for you behind the tower gate. This large, beautiful garden, where we had grown up, was divided in several zones with different themes, however, the area which Zero and I loved most was the fish pond near our room. We often came there to feed those fish or sat down on a wooden bench, looking at their lissome swimming. We used to feel jealous with them, because they could live an easy going life, no responsibilities, no ties to any regulations or obligations, freely indulging themselves in fondling water, forever enjoying peace. However, now I understood their freedom was limited in this garden pond, no responsibilities because they could never leave it, no regulations because they forgot where they had come from.

Just as other parts of the estate, our favorite area didn't change much. It was the same dark brown wooden bench which Aimi was sitting on, it was the old chip on the stone lantern where I had accidentally created several years before. Zero also stood contemplating this pond last year when he was pondering on the pureblood's confession. Today he brought his fiancee here to save her from the elders' rage after she requested to postpone their wedding. She didn't want to marry him now, and he, for years he knew he would get married one day, but never taken time to think about that person, because it wasn't his right to decide who she was. He hadn't bothered to find her out, though he always knew she was Aimi Takamiya. He hadn't paid attention to any other girls, he hadn't had sex with Kaname, I think it was his respect to Aimi, he was staying faithful to her, even before they became husband and wife, because she was going to be his woman, the person who would go with him till his last minute, the person who would commit suicide to follow him to death. So he could not make any mistake, he could not betray her.

Nevertheless, in their first meeting, she requested to put their wedding off, Zero wasn't showing his feeling, but if I were him, I would take it as a rejection. Aimi wasn't pretty, and didn't try to make herself pretty. Her face was totally natural with no trace of make-up, her clothes was decent with no trait to show off her slender figure. It was an extreme contrast with Kaname. This pureblood used luxury branded things all the times, and in the times he met Zero, I bet he doubled his efforts to prepare his looks, there was usually a phenomenal, dangerous seduction emitted from him. Just as people said a twenty year old girl was younger, yet less beautiful than a thirty year one, because you knew about yourself better when you grew older, and Kaname was forty five, and he had stopped aging, and his beauty was flawless. If you were used to looking at him, you might have a difficulty being with another.

Nevertheless, Aimi didn't aim to attract people by her appearance, she roused their affection in her delicate manners, in her sincere heart and her honesty. She hadn't been selected to be my brother's wife because of her looks, but for her origin. She was a copy of the Takamiya ancestress, one of the strongest hunters in history, and her strength had been proved since she was a child. Unfortunately, the HA valued men above women, they didn't want to train her, but hoped she would pass her great strength to her sons, that's why they had taken part in looking for her a suitable husband, whose strength could be her equal and guaranteed to produce powerful offspring. Therefore, this marriage wasn't only the problem between our two families. Unexpectedly, Aimi seemed to inherit the self reliance and independence from her ancestress as well, she didn't want to be a man's wife before learning how to stand on her own feet.

"Zero-san, please don't hate me! I want to postpone our wedding, but I would like to get to know you more. I want to date with you."

If you said vampires were more beautiful than humans because their ADN had been altered and only gathered the best traits of their family ancestors, then my brother was a pureblood by looks. I had never met a girl who passed by him without discreetly turning around for a better look, and if he unintentionally looked at someone, that person would definitely respond by the sweetest smile they could manage. Complimenting him sounded like complimenting myself as we shared the same appearance, however, Zero was more attractive with the confidence of a man who knew who he was, and the calmness of a man who controlled the situation he was in. Of course he had his weak points, and I wouldn't say he was an ideal husband material.

"Did you tell Kuran about your plan to postpone our wedding?"

"Yes, I told him in the second term of my first year in university, because it's related to the condition he made with me."

The second term started in September, which was around the time Kaname started pursuing Zero. They had been in touch before, but the pureblood usually limited their meetings. I thought due to his depression after his break-up, he wasn't ready to look for a new man. Then all of a sudden his attitude changed, he actively contacted my brother and asked him to go out, his eyes stopped avoiding him, and became wistful, each time they said good bye, he looked after his back longingly until Zero disappeared in a car or around a corner. I used to wonder which motivation had created that change of heart.

"What did he say?" My brother asked tentatively.

"He didn't support my decision." Aimi answered "He said nothing was more important than getting married and having children with my husband. I shouldn't do what I think, but listen to what my husband thinks." Her voice was even, though obviously she disagreed with his advice "Uncle Kuran has a kind heart, but he's in the same generation as our parents, he is an old-fashioned type."

"Despite that, he still sponsors for your school?"

"Yes, he said he would pay until I complete my degree, but he had a question." She smiled with the thinking of what she had been asked "He asked what if you fell for another person."

Their eyes met, my brother was startled as if Aimi had just caught him in the middle of a fishy act. That awkward instant gradually melted in the quietness of a sunny garden.

"And how did you answer?" He found his voice sound leisurely after he had masked his puzzlement.

"Then you fell for another person. " Aimi said honestly "Love is spontaneous, we can't force it to go the way we want. That's why I want to date with you, Zero-san! I want us to be in love if we get married."

"If we were married, would you follow me when I passed away?"

It shouldn't be the standard to choose your spouse, it shouldn't be the question before marriage, In a serious relationship, we talked about commitment, about future, about life, but we didn't talk about death. Nevertheless, my brother made it sound like it was his most concern. Aimi stared at him in disbelief. She had hoped our family were more understanding, she had probably hoped Zero was an open-minded gentleman. Apparently she was influenced by the modern opinions and wanted to break free from the ancient traditions her family were living with, before coming here she might be harboring a beautiful dream. Unfortunately, the truth about us wasn't like her hope. As my conclusion from what I had experienced, when you were in the wrong place, you would not meet the right person.

"Sorry, Aimi onee-chan! I understand your point of view, but I'm not the man you look forward to." Zero spoke out his refusal gently "I can only marry the person who is willing to comply with our strict customs."

ZxK

Since high school time, Zero had received many love confessions, yet he declined them all for the same reason: he would only marry the person who would comply with our customs, though he was the one who hated them most. After the death of our great aunt, he told me if only we woke up one day and all regulations and customs disappeared, we could go as far as we wanted to, we could be with whoever we loved, we could do what our heart desired, and we would return if only our free will wished so. Yet he had accepted one confession, so far I didn't think it was love, but it's probably the only feeling reigned in his unfilled heart. He took Kaname Kuran as his lover, yet they practically looked nothing like a couple. Let not talk about intimacy, they even had never laughed comfortably with each other. I wanted Zero to be happy in a real relationship, I wanted to see a sincere smile from his heart. But today he terminated his engagement with Aimi Takamiya. He wasn't wrong, our father would surely not accept a woman with modern opinions to be his daughter-in-law, and with my brother's principles, I wasn't surprised, however, it also meant his happy time remained unforeseen. He decided to go back to the hospital. The blood transfusion must have been finished now, he and Kaname really needed a talk, though I didn't expect them to go any further from where they were. They were two unmatched pieces by nature, having nothing in common, without true love, I couldn't find any reason for them to be together. Being fated was too obligatory for a reason. And how much did a vampire appreciate such conception? It would sound too hard for Kaname, however, the truth was he hadn't waited for his fated lover, but chose Ichijou when he wanted a boyfriend. He sponsored for Aimi's study, or in other words, he was totally fine with her being my brother's wife and had already given up on him. Just life unexpectedly changed, his relationship with Ichijou was broken, and he's now trying to take Zero back for himself.

The VIP hospital room was furnished as a luxury hotel room, emitting a warm, relaxing ambiance. You wouldn't realise you were in a hospital if not paying attention to the special-designed bed for the patient and some medical equipments around it. Bedsheet, flowers and fruits had been professionally changed and arranged, looking like they could never be fresher then how they were right now. Kaname embraced my brother as soon as he appeared at the door, as though he had glued his eyes at the entrance all the time since regaining consciousness. His slender body pressed against him, completely relied on him to support his balance, and I utterly forgot all criticisms which I was blathering about why Zero should break up with him. Sometimes your mind and your heart didn't get along well, and in some moments of your life, you suddenly found yourself undecisive as a fool.

"What is it, Kaname?" My brother seemed uncomfortable in such closeness and tenderly pushed him out.

"I was afraid you had abandoned me." The pureblood insisted to cling to him.

"What will you do if it happens?" Zero was determined, yet his push was thoughtfully light.

"I will wait for you." Kaname finally released him and stepped backward to give a decent distance between them.

"There's nothing good to be with me. I caused your injury." My brother pointed at his bandaged wrist.

"It will heal very fast." The pureblood murmured, not bothering to look at it, as if his serious wound was the last thing he cared for now, though all of us knew it would take months to be healed as the bracelet he had worn was one of the most powerful torturing tools we had.

"Why do you want me? Because I'm your fated lover?" Zero pulled down the handle of the pureblood's suitcase which he was tugging along from home, left it near the closed door, and came to take a seat at a creamy leather sofa, ignoring his lover's astonishment "I have heard from Ichijou and Aimi. Now I want to hear the whole story from you."

Stunned changed to nervous, at the end became resignedly accepted, Kaname tiptoed to the opposite seat, and gently sat down. He should have expected for this moment. My brother hadn't showed his interest in getting to know what he had been through, it might be a respect for his privacy, however, it could also be an unconcern, depended on how you viewed the issue. But today he had got shocking news that the pureblood used to like our father, then it turned out he was his fated lover, and finally he had set up a relation with Aimi and sponsored for her study. Despite of how their result was, it's time for everything to be cleared up.

"I will not hide anything from you, Zero! Anything you want to know, please ask." Kaname said, an elbow laid on the arm rest, his fingers entwined together.

"I've learned that you influenced Aimi's decision of studying medicine and paid for her tuition fees since high school. Your conditions were her studying hard and becoming my good wife."

"Chairman Cross said you were engaged with her since she was born. After completing your degree and the ten-year training period, you would marry her." The pureblood replied honestly "I met her when she was fifteen. She was a very innocent girl and hadn't known many people, but the high school and university environments would expose her to more relations and seductions. I wanted to keep her innocence by providing her a smooth path to a steady future, so she would be happy with what she was having and didn't feel the urge to take any risk to change her fate."

It was quite thoughtful. While Zero didn't bother to get to know his fiancee and assumed she was being taught about all those rules and customs, Kaname discreetly checked her out and watched over her to make sure she would be a suitable wife for his fated lover. In those years, I wouldn't imagine the pureblood had loved my brother, it was more like an act from a senior who wanted to give the good things to his junior.

"You had given me to her, then why did you confess to me?" Zero asked the question which I myself very much wished to know "Because you lost Ichijou?"

"You approached me." Kaname widened his look, then those charming eyes gradually softened, bewitched with pleasant memories "You are my fate, unfortunately, we didn't meet in a right time. I could have been satisfied helping you in silence. But you gave me a chance to be close to you, you showed me your kind heart, you made me crave for your love." Distress gloomily shaded his best attraction "I knew it would hurt, but I have fallen in love with you."

So love was out of the plan, perhaps he had struggled to quench his feeling for my brother, yet Aimi's hesitation to fulfill her fate had encouraged him to seize the opportunity. At that time he was alone, and Zero appeared to cheer up his broken heart, it was a psychological effect that he would fall for him. So far I would admit that he had tried hard to please my brother. If Zero was born in a normal family, and was a little more open-minded, they could have been happy together.

"Sorry, Kaname! I can't return your love." A refusal which should have been said a year before was finally delivered "My marriage has been settled, I will marry Aimi after she graduated from school. It isn't appropriate to continue with you. I want to be alone waiting for her. Soon I will be like Ichijou, faded in your heart. We only had a year, and not as many memories..."

It was a lie, yet Zero cleverly put the true part of his fiancee's suggestion to postpone their marriage, which the pureblood had known, to convince him that all he said was real. He had refused Aimi, and he was here to refuse Kaname. Why had I thought he would choose one between them? He didn't have to, both of them were not the type he's looking for, however, his sentence could never finish, because tears had dripped down on his lover's beautiful face. It was the first time I had seen Kaname crying in front of my brother, he probably didn't realise he was crying, or he had been holding them back? Tears pasted his long lashes, rolling down profusely. He said he knew it would hurt, indeed Zero didn't make him feel secure in this relationship, I had never seen him happy, yet he forced himself to keep going on. Two years ago Ichijou left him, now it's my brother's turn. I found myself hoping for an impossible thing, I hoped this break-up wouldn't devastate Kaname too badly, and next time he would meet someone who truly responded to his feelings.

"What would happen if you had another relationship beside your marriage?" The pureblood awkwardly used his sleeves to wipe off the rolling tears on his face.

"We never allow ourselves to get involved in a casual relationship or an adultery. A hunter will stay forever with his wife, unless she committed a sin, such as childlessness. In this case, he would... kill her by his own hands."

Yes, childlessness was a sin to a hunter's wife. It was strict to the point that if she got an accident or an illness which destroyed her reproductive ability, she would be left to death, unless she had already had at least a son and her husband didn't wish to have more children.

"How long to decide that a wife is childless?" Kaname strangely showed deep concern about this particular regulation.

"Three years."

That's why our mother had to delay her study to have us, and Aimi didn't want to take this same path. It wasn't easy for a girl to give up her future and bear the heavy responsibilities as a mother at the age of nineteen. Our mother had wanted to be a surgeon, she returned to the university when we started school, yet she could only study to be qualified as a registered nurse since unable to neglect her other duties to concentrate on a long term education.

"Could you give me these three years? I don't need anything more than how we have been." Kaname moved to my brother's side, desperately begged for his acceptance "I will comply with your custom when the time is up."

Zero gazed at him distressfully and angrily, then stood up pat, walking toward the closed door "Do you know what you are saying? It is not a joke! You could move on from a thirty year relationship with Ichijou, how can you be willing to end your life for me after three years? When it was really coming, I wouldn't want to see you breaking your words, and I had to hunt you down to execute our custom."

That's what I believed, also what my brother thought. In some issues we definitely shared the same mind. Zero might have spent more time to contemplate this relationship than I guessed. I assumed there were just "Kaname and Ichijou" and "Kaname", but somewhere during the last year my brother had started thinking about "Kaname and myself", and inconspicuously compared with the pureblood's ex-boyfriend. He said each individual should be independent and control their own life, yet I knew he was actually very traditional and possessive, he wanted to possess his lover as much as that person possessed him, he wanted his lover to die for him as much as he was willing to die for that person. He would not go through a break-up, he would not move on once truly in love. So for his type, Kaname was unsuitable.

"In thirty years, Ichijou never cared if I might catch the coldness, or how I ate my meals." Kaname whispered "I've only experienced being concerned in the last two years, since you did those things to me."

Zero was stunned, how had a forty three year old man not ever received those minor attentions from his long-term boyfriend who appeared very dedicated in public eyes? And the way Ichijou being highly worried for his new lover said he wasn't a cold-hearted type. Kaname wouldn't get sick, yet he was able to get hurt, and now I understood the warmth subtly glinted in his eyes each time Zero showed his concern.

"Asato Ichijou arranged for me to stay together with his grandson when I moved in. He even taught him about sex with another boy and urged him to do it with me."

"You let it happen."

"I thought he liked me." The pureblood's claret eyes imbrued in anxiety and loneliness as talking about his long gone childhood "I didn't have anyone else at that time, I hoped for someone to rely on, to belong to, to... be loved. Ichijou said he wanted to be my boyfriend, he promised to be with me forever."

Although our family were strict, we at least had them, had a place to call home, had our father's pride and expectations, had our mother's worries and concerns, had the choice to stay as my brother wished, or walk away as I did. Kaname had no choice, pureblood or not, he was a kid and the adults around him had made all arrangements which he must follow. Ichijou might be the only good thing that appeared to him, the single straw he was able to catch in the shoreless ocean. Asato Ichijou surely saw his huge benefit having a pureblood as his grandson's lover and made all arrangements to achieve it.

"When I was fifteen, one day I awoke in a strange bedroom, and found myself naked, covered in my own dried blood and... semen..." Kaname reduced his voice so low that it's hard to listen "Ichijou had given me a big dose of tranquilizer and... let Ichiou sleep with me."

"What? He let his grandfather sleep with his lover." Zero shouted furiously.

"Ichiou was dying. He's too old, his system couldn't digest normal blood anymore. It was the time all nobles would finally reach. He needed my blood to refresh his system, but drinking pure blood would lead to a consequence. The drinker would be sexually aroused and it could only be satisfied by having sex with his pure blood giver."

My brother had turned back and was facing his lover with full sympathy. We could never imagine something like that had ever happened in the pureblood's past, I thought he had had his happy time. Fifteen year old, being betrayed by the person he loved and being raped by his lover's grandfather, who could be able to cope with it and really got over it for the rest of their life?

"How did Ichijou compensate for it?"

"He said Ichiou was his only family, who had raised him since his parents passed away, and would let him inherit everything when he reached twenty. It was the only way he could fulfill his filial duty as Ichiou needed nothing else. Ichijou said if I loved him, he wanted me to continue giving my blood to his grandfather."

And continue having sex with him, Kaname didn't need to say that part out loud. Zero stared at him sternly "It is outrageous. You must have refused it."

"I...accepted." The pureblood shamefully admitted "He would have left me if I refused him. He agreed my request to give me tranquilizer each time, so I wasn't aware when Ichiou was doing it."

"It's a whore's attitude. Do you have no pride?" Sympathy had completely faded away, my brother bluntly spoke out his opinion. Perhaps it was too hard to call Kaname by that insulting word. I wouldn't say I had no pity, yet I couldn't agree with such compromise. If you truly loved someone, how could you share that person with someone else? And if you truly loved someone, how could you sleep with another one? No matter what the reason could be, I found it absurd. I wasn't a vampire, I didn't know the value of blood drinking, however, love making should be a sacred expression of love. I would question my lover's love if that person required me to accept such ridiculous thing. At the same time I understood the craziness when you desperately wanted to keep a relationship, you would blindly do whatever you thought might help to keep your lover.

"Ichijou gave me his first time, but I wasn't pure for him." Kaname stuttered his verification of the rumor we had heard for a long time "My uncle took my virginity. I had nothing to give Ichijou, I wouldn't mind being more tainted if it would keep him with me."

"Then how could you get over him if you had reached that far?"

It was another unanswered question which created a suspicion of the pureblood's feelings for my brother. I had always assumed he had thirty happy years with Ichijou, and Zero was merely a substitute after the noble left a void in his heart. As a drowning man, he was ready to grab whoever came to him at that time, and it happened to be my brother, a foolish admirer who believed a good friendship could help him get over a broken love.

"He figured out I had known about his affair with his fated lover, and wanted to kill me." Kaname yearningly searched for a glimmer of compassion in my brother's expression. He was apprehensive as revealing his unpleasant past, the pain written on his face wasn't from those previous wounds, but the fear of his current lover's reaction. Although they weren't really close, he should have known my brother enough to know his past was unacceptable to our morality, yet he was disclosing its full hideousness "The pill he gave me on that day wasn't tranquilizer, instead it attempted to weaken my strength, but it wasn't successful. He said he couldn't keep me alive because he was afraid I would harm Tsubasa Aiba. He was too young to understand how love was when we first met, and when he understood it, he couldn't fall for someone who was sleeping with his grandfather. He had to suffer in our relationship to have me maintained the arrangement, until he found an escape and experienced true love with his fate. I wanted to use his method to end our relationship too, but when he plunged the athame into me, I realised I didn't want to die in his hands. I wanted another chance, I wanted to find my true love, someone who I'm willing to die for."

Since the pill wasn't effective, Kaname could easily stop his ex-boyfriend once he changed his mind. However, Ichijou was still very alive, meaning the pureblood had forgiven his reckless action. Yesterday Ichijou even had the guts to ask him to operate on his lover. Kaname obviously still held a soft spot for him in his heart, despite of their upsetting memories. I thought he was shallow to get over a thirty year relationship within six months, as a matter of fact, he was generous.

"Now you're treating me as the second Ichijou, you tried all means to satisfy me, hoping to win my heart." I wasn't sure how my brother was affected from the pureblood's story, yet his voice had turned emotionless "If so, it's time to move on Kaname. You failed."

"No, I'm not a kid anymore, I'm a grown up man." The pureblood ran to my brother, forcefully turned his shoulders until their eyes met each other "I wanted you not because I didn't have any other choice or needed someone to rely on. I have everything to support you in your career both as a doctor and a hunter. I will facilitate your practice in my hospital and transmit all my knowledge and experiences to you. My loyal aristocrats have many relations with the senior hunters, I can ask them to arrange a position for you in the HA, so we can live together in Hokkaido. I even can pull the strings to canvass a re-election and assist you to the president chair." His look flared with passion, desire and also a hope, longing enough to burn up anything "I will follow all of your family customs. You tell me, I will learn them, and I will fully respect our three year time. The hunters have the constriction bracelets to constrain their vampire prisoners. Please put it on me, I think I can sustain it for three years, then you don't have to worry I will break my words."

It meant he recognised the one which Yamada-san had required him to wear wasn't a normal constriction bracelet, yet he still accepted it because Zero didn't tell him not to. However, Kaname Kuran wasn't a silly person who knew nothing but love. He could analyse things as sharply as he wanted, he could be calculated as carefully as he wanted. I didn't know he had taken time to ponder on how to support my brother's future, from sponsoring for Aimi's study to manipulating the HA to give him the president position, yet he prioritized love above anything else. He had always been acting as a little kitten in front of my brother, and for years I had misjudged him. Today I finally saw him in the glory of a pureblood, and the peak of his submission, it somehow made me like him. I wondered if Zero also felt the same...

"All men in our family were born with the Kiryuu crest as a birth mark." My brother replied his lover's intensity with another custom, he unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a natural mark of a red rose shining on his upper arm "It will vanish after our first love making, and if our wife was also a virgin, the Kiryuu crest will appear on her. It will not happen if one of us isn't pure."

Needn't to say any further, Kaname was mesmerised by the red rose blossoming proudly on my brother's skin. It would be the most sacred gift Zero could present to the person he loved, it was the reason he had never slept with him. How much the pureblood loved him, how far he could sacrifice for him, how many obstacles he was willing to take, all were meaningless, as Kaname wasn't a virgin, he was unable to receive this blessing gift from my brother. If they made love, the gift would be ruined.

At last Zero used it to refuse him. The pureblood hopelessly watched him walking away. Perhaps my brother would find someone who was traditional enough to get married to him and accepted to follow him to death, in an assumption that it would happen after their marriage had lasted many decades, but I didn't think he would find anyone else who was willing to trade their longevity for a three year time with him. Unexpectedly I trusted Kaname, trusted his words were sincere. Everyone wished for a long life, purebloods called their eternity a curse. Kaname must have met more than enough people, who wanted to build a relationship to take advantage of him, but he was offering his all support to one, and that person coldly declined him. If only Zero shared a part of wildness from me and cut off all relations with our family... I wondered if he could see it, Kaname needed him more than our family did. While they only cared about his strength, his achievements, what he could bring to them, the pureblood needed him simply for who he was.

ZxK

Our mother's room had a door which led to our room through a pine tree garden. In the old time, we often crawled out after Yamada-san putting us to bed, and sneaked in our mother's room to sleep together with her. We enjoyed her futon, which we thought was very big since we were kids, her warm blanket and her sweet sweet scent as any other children in this world. We used to follow mother from day to night, cried if not seeing her, competed for her attention by any crazy, childish things we could think about. When we turned ten, our custom forced us not to be so attached to our mother so that we could learn about self defence and independence, yet we still managed to sneak in her room at night.

Our mother looked older than a forty four year old woman, but those eyes remained the most affectionate look I had ever met, and that smile remained the warmest. Each day in this family wasn't easy to pass, every year her only joy just came back to visit her for a short time. She had been waiting in impatience until my brother finished his training and move back permanently. Now they were sitting alone together, she sadly suppressed a sigh, wanted to say something, but decided to keep it back. They stayed quiet for a while, my brother remained bowing his head before her, waiting for her reprimands, finally he uttered "Okaa-san, please forgive me."

We knew it wouldn't be a pleasant gathering since Zero informed he had a lover. Our mother must have been relieved when this issue was resolved pretty fast, our father didn't give him any punishment and he agreed to meet with uncle Takamiya's family. Unexpectedly, it resulted in another problem which would change his future, and nobody could predict whether it was for the better or the worse.

"How is Aimi now?" She asked.

"Kaito-san has come to pick her up." Zero answered "He is back and he supports her decision. He will defend her in front of uncle Takamiya."

"How can Kaito-kun support it? He must be the one who spoiled her."

I was also surprised to hear that. It's probably time to amend our ancient traditions, their existence was no longer beneficial for us, but made our lives miserable. I heard some senior hunters had raised this issue, however, it was disapproved by the majority, especially our father, he didn't wish to change any rules which our own ancestor had set up. He didn't care what the others felt, and for himself, I wouldn't waste time to imagine he could understand how love was to comprehend the feeling.

Zero stayed quiet, our mother continued "Your father has terminated the engagement. He was alone in his room since Takamiya-san and his wife left."

It was in my expectation, our father would never accept Aimi's 'unreasonable' request, even if she inherited the Takamiya ancestress's powers. Our father hadn't had to marry a daughter of a strong hunter to give birth to a son who successfully reached his supreme level at the age of twenty five. The Kiryuus were the strongest hunter line, in his opinion, it should have been the Takamiyas's honor to marry their daughter to our family. But I wouldn't regret for Aimi's decision, one day she would meet her real match, who cared about his origin if he would make her truly happy, and her children would have the parents who were sincerely in love with each other. Our father didn't love our mother, though I believed she was his best match for her tolerance and obedience. Unfortunately, he didn't appreciate them as assumed all women must be that way.

"...And Kaname Kuran..." Our mother was hesitant "Purebloods aren't honest to the different race."

"I have broken up with him." Zero replied quietly. We knew our parents wouldn't allow us to get into a relationship with vampires. It fact, it was weird to hear our father used to be friends with Ichijou, he hated all kinds of vampires, and never hid his passionate hatred. Since we were children, he had managed to transfer that loathing to us. Ironically, both of us got involved in them. I felt bad for Kaname, my brother had never defended him from our family's accusation. He was honest to Zero, he had exposed his scars, his shame, his pain, all his repugnant past for my brother's judgment, and he had been painfully rejected, even though he was willing to trade everything he had to be with him for three years.

"Did you... love him?"

It need not to ask, for all had been done, Kaname couldn't get a defence from my brother. When we were here, I wondered what the pureblood was doing. He didn't know anybody else in Okinawa, of course I wouldn't count Ichijou and his lover, Zero didn't only dump him, but dug into his worst wound and blamed him for something he was brutally robbed. Kaname was refused because he had lost his virginity. I wished I could walk out right away, to avoid hearing my brother's heartless answer, however, we were tied together, I must stay where he was, I must see what he did, I must hear what he said, I must live with his decisions.

"I love Kaname."

The statement was low, yet resolute. Our mother was dumbfounded, then her tears started falling as she caressed my brother's face, gently rose his chin up, cupping his cheeks, and held him still, her lips quivered, but no words spoken out. Was she disappointed? Did she consider it a disgrace? How many parents could accept their children to have a different sexual preference? I was stunned at my brother's calm expression. He was ready for our mother's reprimands, he admitted something which he had so denied in front of his lover, something I never expected to happen, something that made me question my understanding for him. How could we be together all the time and I had never seen a slight hint of his love? Since when did it come as he had always been the first to suggest ending their phone call, the first to stand up from their table, the first to turn away when they said good bye?

"Don't go with him. Please don't leave me, Zero! Don't..." Our mother cried, words became inarticulate as fear of history being repeated threatened to take her other son away from her. My heart ached as if it was being squeezed tightly. I would have been crying as well, if possible. I had left her and never come back. Now my brother was her last hope. What did I think when saying Zero should have cut off all relations with our family to go with Kaname? I forgot our mother, I didn't think about how she would feel. Her eyes were all red, fingers clutched to my brother desperately. _Okaa-san, I'm sorry, I can never compensate for the sorrow I have caused to you._

"Okaa-san, I will not leave you." Zero's warm hands wrapped on her sweaty ones.

The night embraced their forlorn figures, salted their mournful moments, her trembling hands hastily grabbed his left arm, pulling up his sleeve to seek for the red rose, the evidence of his purity. It wasn't relief as she shakily fondled over our crest on his skin, fresh tears dripped down, she squeezed her eyes, whispering bitterly "My good son! It must be difficult for you."

If only I could have a physical form, even for a minute, I wanted to throw myself to our mother's embrace, or if there was a way to tell her I was also here, if I could do it for a second time, I would choose to remain by her side. Zero didn't cry, there was a type of people who cried without tears, because they swallowed all their tears back inside. Since the day I left, he continued our path alone, he lived up to our family's expectations, he trained hard to uphold our family's pride. Sometimes I thought he was cold-minded, yet he concealed his feelings from the bottom of his heart, where nobody could be able to see. He loved Kaname, regardless of how unbelievable it was, he didn't want the pureblood to find it out. Yes, why didn't I realise it when he said hunters didn't allow themselves to get involved in a casual relationship?

"I used to ask your father if Kuran liked him, because he seemed very fond of you. I couldn't explain his strange affection to you. Even your father couldn't differentiate you and Ichiru at that age, but he was never wrong. I was worried, he's a pureblood, I was worried he's after your blood."

Zero didn't tell our mother Kaname was his fated lover, or how they had settled their relationship in the hospital. It's probably his final resolve, probably the good ending for both of them, though it shattered both of their hearts. I would like to thank my brother for what he had done, tolerated and compensated for my irresponsibility. Why did I still feel he was actually awake when I crawled out on that night to pursue my own freedom? He had hugged me tightly and said he loved me in the afternoon. I had always looked forward to him to correct my wrong things, to fix my mistakes, to take the blame for my guilts. He had sacrificed his freedom to give me a chance to enjoy it. But I ended up dying in misery, leaving him with regret and loneliness. Because of me, he had to clip his own wings. Because of our mother, he had to give up on his love.

"I can't protect Kaname from our customs. I don't deserve him." His voice quivered as a soft whisper. Our mother's loving fingers tenderly stroked his silver hair. _Okaa-san, we are forever kids in front of you, please embrace us..._

_**- to be continued -**_

_Posted: 11 Feb 2013_

_Could you let me know what you think about this chapter?_


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N_**_: Thank you for your reviews! This is the chapter before the finale. I used Zero as the narrator in the first 2 chapters of "Feel with your heart", and I'm using Ichiru to narrate this story. I've learned a lesson, I will make sure to use myself next time *note down carefully* Hix, it's too difficult, whenever I wanna say something about Zero or Kaname, I have to ask "How does Ichiru know it?", so I can't dig deeply in their feelings and can't blabber about them as much as I wish._

_I like Takuma in the manga and feel sorry that I have to 'sacrifice' him in this story. He is casted to be Kaname's ex-boyfriend, thanks to the cover picture of volume 17, which I'm using a part of as my avatar :-)_

_And I love__perce-neige__'s comment that Ichiru is not only the "stalker", but also the "voyeur". Yeah, it's true! He will have to be in the final chapter, and that's one of the reasons I will make sure to be my own narrator in my next story! How to write yaoi with an invisible 'ghost' sitting there ack ack_

_Wondering if I should put a warning:there is a sex scene in this chapter, but not a pleasant one._

**Chapter 5**

"_Zero... take me in! I'm not ready to go now... I want... vengeance..."_

My brother woke up with his forehead bathed in sweat. A familiar nightmare had come back to disturb him once more. He could never have a good sleep in this room, where held our fond childhood memories, the furniture reminded him of me, and how we lost each other. That night I had stealthily opened the door and tiptoed out to seek for my free future, and Zero pretended to be sleeping, he couldn't watch me walk away, but he didn't want to hold me back. In this family, we knew exactly where we would end up to. He had been requested to move to Hokkaido for a ten year training, some day he would sit on our father's chair, and continue his life, yes, continue our father's life, because he would think what our father was thinking, do what our father was doing, who cared about his own thoughts, his own dreams, his own goals? And myself, I had been born with a bad health, there was no future for me. Zero promised to protect me all my life and give me whatever I wished for. So my fate was tied to his, to be his shadow. Regardless of my gratitude to have a kind brother, I couldn't make up my mind to accept it.

Pure blood was very nutritious to the drinkers, both vampires and humans. It was the only remedy to improve my health. If I had it regularly, it was quite possible that I would develop my strength and catch up with my twin brother after a while. Coincidently, I got to know Shizuka Hio at a party, and unlike other people, she wasn't interested in Zero, she just talked to me. Something seemed to grow from our first meeting, I wanted to extricate from our family and our rigorous customs to be with her. It didn't sound like a smart decision, because Shizuka was an ancient pureblood, the type which our ancestor had hunted down to create his great name, but I believed in my feelings, I was too desperate for a change, and didn't want to miss it.

I had no intent to share with you my journey, because that journey hadn't brought me to my happy dream, it wore me out, ripping my pride off, tearing my dignity, stealing my right mind, and at the end, it led me to a suicide. I contacted Zero, asking him to come see me, and asking him to accept an eccentric request in my last minute. I held his generosity against him, forced him to fulfill my wish. Shizuka had left me alone, I wasn't the first guy she had abandoned, and definitely not the last, she seduced us by her blood, then tortured us by the same thing when it became our indispensable drug. Pure blood was extremely nutritious, yet the drinker must have sex with their giver to gratify the sexual arousal which was born from that drinking. She enjoyed provoking our frenzied excitement, enjoyed letting us suffer in carnal desire, enjoyed watching us in our hysterics, but her deepest pleasure was to walk away and let us die in the drastic, ignominious craving for sex.

I couldn't resign myself to die as another victim of hers, I wanted to see her pay, I wanted vengeance. And I arranged Zero to see my death to bind him into my enmity. Since then I became a resentful spirit, tied with my twin brother, following him to wait for justice. It had been nine years, my indignation had faded away, not because I had forgiven Shizuka, but nine year was enough time for me to calm down and realise I had been too selfish. Everyone praised Zero for his glorious achievement at the age of twenty five, our family, especially our father, were proud that nobody else had ever reached the supreme level at such young age. What if he had failed? What if he had died trying? They would laugh and say it was a greedy, haughty action of a self-conceited person. Even if they dropped a few tears, it wouldn't reduce the damage caused by his failure, it wouldn't give him another chance to recommence his life. Each of us could only live once, that's why we should live for ourselves, accomplish our own goals, enjoy our own pleasure. Yet my brother chose to live for the others. He had tried his hardest to improve his strength for a promise I had forced him to make. Shizuka Hio was an ancient pureblood, he would need more strenuous trainings until being able to fight against her. For years I wished I could somehow influence his thought to beg him to stop. I had died for my own fault, it wasn't fair to let him sink together with me.

After getting tired of bedding me, Shizuka bit me, then locked me in with her other abandoned living toys. Once converted to a vampire, pure blood wasn't an optional nutrition, but a drug which could never be detoxified. Each time she felt like torturing us, she would throw in a few drops, and watch us shamelessly licked them off on the floor, but the greatest horror only came after that. When that demoniac liquid dripped down our throats, an ignoble desire awoke. Burnt in that hysterical heat, nothing but sex existed in our minds, what type of intercourse didn't matter, who the partner was became the last thing we cared about, we would go on and on, tired our wrecked bodies out, even died of exhaustion, yet that arousal would never die.

I hadn't known my sexual craving was embedded in my resentment, and follow my spirit to haunt Zero. I no longer had a physical form, that corporal suffering couldn't affect me, instead it clamped down on my brother, in the first time seeing it arouse him, I was stupefied. Because Zero had never drunk Shizuka's blood, he wasn't thirst for hers, he didn't want her either, he simply needed sex to release his arousal, but as a hunter, he must preserve his first time for his wedding night. That humiliation came each of month-end, and lasted for a full day while he was restraining himself in his private room, enduring it alone until it was subdued. Except those torturing days, he never voluntarily grew a sexual desire, never tried to pleasure himself, never paid attention to any girls. I was worried what he had to endure because of me had quenched his intimacy instinct, but Kaname eventually came to the picture. Having a lover was a good solution to soothe his pain, however, I was wrong again while using selfishness to analyse his action. Zero didn't sleep with him, despite of his feeling, despite of his suffering. They only met when he was at his clearest mind, and their time spent with respect and purity, which a tainted soul as mine couldn't realise it was love.

Groping for the cell phone next to his pillow, Zero checked if there was any missed call or message, then once again disappointed that it was nothing. He had ended his supposed relationship with Kaname yesterday, but repeatedly waiting to hear from him since getting back home. I had never seen him missing his lover, but in this moment he was apparently feeling worried. Kaname was a powerful pureblood, it would be hard to endanger him, however, he had just got heart broken, what would he do by himself in a strange place as Naha City? Why did he not call my brother and beg him to reconsider his decision? It was childish to dump someone and expect that person to contact you right away, but if the feeling remained in your heart, whether you were in or out of the relationship, you would still care. Perspiration oozed over his body, my brother was getting hotter, though the weather was quite comfortable in this season. He glanced at an antique clock hanging on the wall, then got up, decided to take a shower to cool himself down.

Our home followed the ancient style, and the bathrooms were built separately at the back of the estate. It was still dark outside, things were still submerged in the quiet night, Zero quickly finished his shower, and changed to a modern outfit. He must feel it was coming, yet wanted to get something done first. If only I could have a way to terminate it or at least share the pain with him to solace my twinged conscience each time seeing him take it as a part of his life. Year after year, I scorned my selfishness, scorned my inability to control things, scorned my pathetic, ineffective existence. All I could do was to stare at his agony with my wide open eyes.

On the way out, I saw two of our cousins running toward the opposite direction, so hurry that ignoring my brother. "It must be reported to uncle Nori urgently." One spoke to the other while hastening his pace "The correct person was Saito Miyake, but in our Order letter it's written Sato Miyake."

"But Sato Miyake was also an ex-human." The latter said.

"He hasn't fallen to level E yet." The first explained "I'm afraid his lover won't let it go easily."

They disappeared after the pine trees, Zero also strode over a bend toward the tower gate. Nothing was more important than finding Kaname and making sure he was safe before this outburst really came. Everything would eventually be alright, the pureblood's strong will should help him to get over this break-up. Zero had insulted him with rude words, purposely provoked his anger to reduce his pain. However, it didn't mean he wasn't hurt right now, right in this moment, and I couldn't think about anyone who should stay with him and offer their consolation. Kaname had no family, no friend. For such a sensitive issue, I didn't think a follower was suitable to comfort him. A hasty drive to the hospital, a hasty run to his room only worsened my brother's worry as nobody was inside, his suitcase remained the same place where he had put it earlier. In such a dreadful moment, I realised their connection was too fragile, they hadn't prepared how to find each other if one day they got out of contact, Zero didn't know his lover's home phone number or any of his noble followers'. Even if he knew, they would be shocked to hear from him, because none was aware of their relationship. His feelings were denied in public eyes, covered in private, even in his innermost. The pureblood's aura had vanished in the air, as a proof that he had left for hours, probably right after my brother left.

"_I love you, Kiryuu-kun! Could you be my boyfriend?"_

"_Could you give me these three years? I don't need anything more than how we have been. I will comply with your custom when the time is up."_

It was the reason why Zero had to push him away. On the same day, he had a girl who was engaged with him, but unready to bind her life to our traditions to get married to him, and he had a man who was on his pinnacle of fame, but willing to trade everything he owned to be with him for three years. Who couldn't not think about it? I still disagreed with the pureblood's compromise in his previous relationship, however, he was a dedicated type, he didn't care what was happening to himself, but how to make his lover at ease, how to satisfy his lover's requests. It's probably why he had missed the chance to win Ichijou's love, and again, he seemed to have committed the same mistake, Zero couldn't accept him for his dedication, yet at the same time I thought he had successfully won his whole heart. Kaname was the type who my brother had been looking for, but unfortunately, couldn't keep. In this strange city, he didn't know any roads, he was unfamiliar with any directions, where could he go?

"_As to me, the most beautiful beach is Naminoue Beach. Ichiru and I used to go there for swimming many times since it's very close to our home. But I haven't been there for years, because I don't want to go alone."_

"_Can I go with you?"_

Searching over what they had talked to each other, I suddenly remembered a location which Zero mentioned a while ago. Their conversations had never been deep, they just talked about daily stuff, some hobbies, some habits, some casual things. Kaname actually enjoyed listening to every word from my brother, and remembered his likes and dislikes to prepare their meetings or occasionally surprise him with a gift. If he was in Naha, he might want to go to Naminoue Beach for once. This idea seemed to flash in my brother's mind too, as he rushed back to his car and hastily directed to that area, ignoring the heat which was burning up more fiercely.

Naminoue Beach was beneath the highway running through our city, not a beautiful landscape, yet very convenient and good enough for recreation. As other locals, we often went there when having some free time and missing a feel of hot sand between our toes. Zero hadn't come back there for years since I left, he avoided looking at things which reminded him of our memories. Not that he wanted to forget, but he still hadn't accomplished his promise to me, he felt owing me, while I was the one who was in deep debt to him. I wanted to go there again, to recall our innocent moments, to pretend peaceful time had come back. But today was definitely not the day, Zero climbed over the edge of the pavement and almost hit a lamp post while managing to stop his car, concentration became uneasy in his current state of mind, he had a difficulty getting out, and had to pause a few seconds to pull himself together before slowly moving his legs one by one to stand on the ground, then heavily shut the door up. It was almost empty in this area, all shops were still closed, he carefully stepped down the sand bank, throwing his bleary eyes around. Not wanting to get too close, he just hoped to find a loving figure, just a brief glimpse to know everything was fine.

Red clouds covered the whole sky as twilight was preceding sunrise. In a quiet scene, there was a lonesome man facing the tranquil sea, wave foam lapped over his ankles, light breeze flirted on his dark hair. My brother's blurred eyes fell onto his image, and contentedly ceased to caress him from such a long distance. To think he had stood there since last night, his feet suddenly froze. It should be enough, Zero should hurry up now, getting back home, hiding himself in somewhere private, if not wanting to create a scandal which would stain our family's reputation. But that scene forcefully held him still, in a moment erased all other worries, now the only thing left between them was a forbidden love with no future. One step backward, one turn around would forever separate them. For the first time I had seen his hesitation. Was it the result he had hoped for? Not the one in his mind, but from the bottom of his heart, when bringing Kaname home, what had his heart hoped for? A sad smile shone on his dry lips, he eventually turned away.

Dawn was beautiful as yellow clouds brightened up the sky, arrogantly dying the water with their charming color, a few earliest people had appeared to start their new day, the area would soon become bustling. This was a human lifestyle, this was how we spent our time. I used to have a naive wish to share my limited life with an immortal being, and received a regretful revelation at the bitter end that two different races could never get into a relationship. Before saying your disagreement, could you tell me you honestly believed a rooster could mate a duck or your puppy would really fall in love with your kitten if you raised them together? In some aspects, we couldn't go against the will of Mother Nature. As sorry as I was feeling, I thought Zero had made a right decision. He tottered across the parking lot to get back to his car, it wasn't very far, but in his state, it was a serious challenge. There were some other vehicles beside his, though I assumed they had been left overnight, and their owners weren't around at this time. A figure swiftly approached him from behind, as busy opening the door, he was caught out of guard, the aggressor's hideous fingers with black, pointed nails gripped his neck up, a stink dashed into his nose. An E vampire.

"Hunter, what are you doing at this hour?"

Not bothering to answer him, Zero clutched his hand to pull him off.

"Ouch." The vampire yelped, blood poured from his own bruises. He lifted his hand up to have a taste, and jumped onto my brother again "I can sense your tiredness. Stop struggling, just give me a bit of your blood."

He must be very desperate to attack a human in such a public place, from his ragged appearance and those red eyes, he must have spent the whole night hunting with no luck, and that hunger had tormented him for days. I wished I could have strength to kick him away. After following my brother in many hunting trips, I was familiar with those insane creatures, what they thought, how they reacted, but in the previous times, it was Zero who hunted them down. Unfortunately, he was incapable of protecting himself in this moment, when the heat took control over his body, he became defenseless. The vampire gathered his full strength to squeeze him, and Zero struggled weakly to push him out with my useless, worthless assistance. That's it. My damned existence was only meant to bring troubles to my brother. I wasn't ready to meet him now, I wouldn't have a face to see him if the reason we were able to see each other was _this_. Whether this vampire killed him or not, Zero would surely commit suicide if he got bitten. I miserably recalled the horrific moment when Shizuka had bitten me. No, my brother didn't deserve it, it was a great shame to any hunters. If only I could shout out, if only I could find a way to stop it, and while I was in my deepest frustration and self-reproach, that vampire released him.

Zero collapsed, coughing heavily. His attacker made a respectful gesture to greet the newcomer and quickly got himself out of sight. Kaname rushed to my brother, kneeling down to help him get up, Zero grabbed his shirt, in a second wanted to struggle, but right in the next second, realised his familiar scent, and still held him tight, but pressed himself closer. In that fateful instant, he had unconsciously revealed a secret which had been hidden for a year. With a hunter instinct, he was resting assured that he was safe in a pureblood's embrace.

ZxK

Kaname carried my brother back to his hospital room by turning both of them into bats and flew on the sky. It would be better if we could go home, but he couldn't come to our house without startling the others, especially when Zero was in such a situation. However, I honestly didn't know if staying in the pureblood's room right now was a good idea for them. Laying my brother on his bed, Kaname undid a few buttons of his shirt to check the bleeding scratches which that vampire had created on his neck. They weren't really deep, yet blood was still dripping. His pupils suddenly, alertly turned into dark crimson. Being a surgeon, he must have worked with blood countless times, and known how to control his instinct, yet my brother was the man he loved. The other day, he had admitted that he yearned for Zero's blood. Seeing him being fascinated by those scratches and unable to take his look off, my tenseness rose beyond limit, but my brother just gazed at him without a word. I would have said something to warn him or at least remind him to keep fighting against his crave, it's only for his own sake, yet Zero seemed to expect Kaname to struggle by himself and decide on his free will.

At length, those crimson eyes moved up to seek for my brother's amethyst "I won't bite you..." His voice quivered "...Trust me." His hand stroked my brother's hair, assuming he was shaking in fear "I will clean them up."

He left for a second and returned with a soft cloth which had been wet in lukewarm water, then started wiping off the blood on his lover's neck. Long, brown lashes drooped down to hide the shining crimson spheres as he managed to focus on his work. Although it's just a little of blood, a pureblood's senses were many time sharper than humans. I was sure each time meeting my brother gave him a difficulty as imagining his blood running in his veins, but it got worse when this desirous liquid was now coming on the surface. He discreetly moved his jaws, perhaps trying to repress the protruded fangs. When the cleansing was finished, my brother had already closed his eyes, brows knitted into a bow, both hands rolled into fists. He couldn't take it any longer, the pureblood's presence was making it harder for him this time.

Kaname anxiously touched his sweaty forehead, and his hot cheeks, then opened a hand to check his red palm.

"L...Leave... me."

"Zero."

"L... Leave..." My brother struggled to pull his hand back.

"What happened? You're having a fever." The pureblood whispered, anxiety had changed his crimson back to natural claret. He certainly sensed something wrong was going on. Zero shouldn't easily fail to an E vampire, and right now he didn't seem in full consciousness. Weather was cool, yet he's burning, his hands unawarely pulled up his own clothes. Kaname got his intent, and untied the belt, helping him to loosen them.

All of a sudden, Zero grabbed his hands and stared at him fiercely "Don't... touch..."

A glint of hurt flicked in the pureblood's eyes, but it quickly vanished as he ignored his own feeling to explain "I just want to help you feel comfortable."

"It's... an after-effect." Zero stuttered "...am... in heat."

Kaname was shocked. Once again his lover put him in a challenging circumstance. All he had ever dreamed from my brother, he was right here, in front of him, in a state that suited him best. It could be his only chance to have them, if just ignoring what he was saying.

"Leave..."

The third time Zero had made his request with determination. Kaname took his hands back and they technically had no more bodily contact, though both of them were still very close on the bed. He must still remember what my brother had said the day before, right in this room, they couldn't be together, and he had never slept with him because he wanted to preserve his purity as a sacred gift to his wedded one. That blossoming red rose of the Kiryuus, Kaname wasn't pure to receive it. And if in such a situation, he still struggled to refuse him, then the pureblood couldn't hope their encounter at Naminoue Beach to have any meaning rather than his concern for him as he usually did since their first meeting.

The first convulsions started coming, my brother rolled on his side. Kaname adjusted his pillow, and decided to overlook his words for once to unbutton both his shirt and trousers. We knew fever wasn't an illness itself, but a symptom of an illness. In this particular case, it was caused by the aggressive, insatiable heat which was overwhelming my brother's body. In respect of medical opinion, you could take a cold shower to reduce your fever, but taking a long bath wasn't a good method. Since Zero said it was an after effect, it's unlikely to be the first time he experienced it, and absolutely not the last. Unsure about its frequency and how long it lasted, Kaname whispered "Tell me what I need to do now."

"Leave... me." My brother stubbornly repeated.

"Would you like to call... Aimi?" The pureblood's hand was magically cold as ice when he touched his lover's forehead. Yesterday Zero said they had agreed to hold a wedding after her graduation, which meant she was the only one in this world who had the right to cure him.

My brother groaned some incoherent words instead of an answer, and exerted to turn over, his nails gored into the flesh of his palm. Sobriety had completely gone, it wouldn't take long until the most terrible phase came. Without his consent, but worries didn't let Kaname think out any better solution, he grabbed his cell phone and scanned through the contact list to find a number.

"Aimi! Is it convenient to talk?"

...

"I heard your and Kiryuu-kun's families had just had a meeting to discuss about your marriage."

... ...

"Didn't you just want to postpone it?" His voice couldn't hide the astonishment.

... ... ...

...

"No, I called to check if everything is alright." He cleverly masked his emotion to make it sound casual.

...

...

"Aimi, I'm sorry to hear that. I will meet you when you arrive here."

I was thankful that Kaname had smartly asked about their marriage arrangement before making his request. There was no wedding after graduation as my brother said, Zero had terminated his engagement with Aimi, and made her unsuitable to help him get over this situation. So the pureblood didn't need to disclose what was going on to her **ex-**fiance, or where he really was at the moment. It's only two of them alone together in this room, with a secret which couldn't be revealed to any third person. Kaname put the phone down, and turn back to his lover, who was no longer aware of what he was doing, his hands were brutally grasping his swollen manhood under the boxers, yanking, squeezing it as a hateful thing. The pureblood worriedly unclasped each of his stiff fingers, trying not to break any part of his body.

"Please don't hurt yourself, Zero." As he could press my brother's hands down on the bed, the head of my brother's hardness had exposed from his lowering waistband, with pre-cum leaking out, a color of purple bruise outstood on his fine skin. Kaname gasped "It's the heat from drinking pure blood." but after that stunning instant, he whispered affectionately to his lover "Let me release it."

Before I could comprehend the meaning of his words, he had pulled my brother's arousal out, and engulfed the whole length into his mouth. I thought I had blacked out for several seconds. It's definitely not an erotic, exciting scene which would make you jealous. I wished I didn't have to witness it. Zero wasn't a kind, caring person in this moment as he truly was, the heat had overpowered him, he looked like a wild beast which just caught a prey after being starved for months, his hands snatched his lover's silky hair with no mercy, pulling him up and down hysterically to gratify his own feral need, his hips heaved in rhythm to get himself deeper in the hot, moist cavern where was giving him so much pleasure. It never seemed to reach an end, the longer it took, the stronger I believed Kaname didn't intend to stop him, despite of his escalating discomfort. Perhaps he didn't mind being used as a mean, but I was afraid he would faint from suffocation, so far he had made no sound, his arms, which supported him from the beginning, was shaking tremendously. Yet it wasn't what Zero cared about as he held his lover's head down, and thrusting in more violently until releasing his first shoot deep in the pureblood's throat.

Both arms dropped, he sprawled on the bed, while Kaname choked and coughed heavily beside him, now I saw his bushed face wet with tears. After drinking pure blood, one would get excited, and their excitement worsened with time until they could have sex and release with the pure blood giver. Shizuka had enjoyed our craziness, but never let it grow to such level if planning to sleep with us. My brother hadn't drunk from her, and usually endured it alone, so the heat would reach its worst each time before it subdued.

As soon as the cough was eased off, Kaname turned to check Zero. To his horror, my brother was squeezing his dark purple erection again as if he had never come a minute before. His arousal couldn't be sated with just a blow job, no matter how intense it was. Even if he tried it again, he would get hard again in no time, and those consecutive orgasms would wreck his body at the end. Kaname hastily pulled my brother's hands off "Stop, Zero! You'll get hurt."

My brother struggled to break free from his grip, and glowered at him in fury. He didn't recognise anyone now, didn't care who was in front of him. That's why he usually made sure to lock himself in a private place where nobody could come to disturb. Now the pureblood might figure out the reason why he hadn't answered his calls or refused to meet him sometimes in the past, then actively contacted him back a few days later. He had never complained about his late responses, but if he ever thought Zero had chosen something else over him in those times, it became clear now that they were the days my brother had endured this excruciation.

"Hold on! I'll help you." Kaname gently said to him, and gave him his most seductive smile which I had ever seen, as if they were going to have a happy, passionate love making.

He slid in the bathroom, and when he walked out, his clothes had been taken off. Rapid steps didn't make his movement less graceful as he hurried up to my brother, who was frenziedly rocking his virile erection. Managed to straddle him, he bowed down to caress my brother's burning skin "Forgive me, I can't see you suffer like this. I will take any punishment once you're recovered."

Kaname reached backward to wrap the huge, overheated hardness, and resolutely pushed its swollen tip into his body. Just by looking, it's easy to say it wasn't a normal excitement, one of the symptoms of an arousal from drinking pure blood was the manhood would bloat more and more and end up doubling the size one could reach at his best. The color also darkened with time to the point that he couldn't believe it was a part of his body anymore. It gave him no pleasure but pain, and the excruciating need to be released. Kaname had lubricated himself to smooth my brother's penetration, the rugged, purple shaft was driven to his marrow in one go, resulted in a painful moan slipping out from his torn lips. Lubricant made it easy for Zero, yet Kaname still couldn't cope with such fast, uncaring stretching. I felt my whole existence frozen. If my brother was looking at something, I would also see it, but if it's something he didn't look, I had a choice to see it or pass it. I might have wondered how their intimacy would be, supposed they did it out of love and would try their best to please each other, but right now, there was no excitement, there's even no curiosity. I decided to turn away. The pureblood's gasps and aching moans kept piercing through my ears, Zero obviously didn't wait until his lover got used to the occupation of his inflated flesh, but hurriedly sped up his pounding to indulge his lust.

Behind my back, my brother was spending his first time with the person he loved. Ironically, he wasn't giving him any pleasure. He groaned sometimes, when the beast from me, which was controlling his body, overwhelmed with enjoyment and gratification, and other sounds were the squeaking of their bed, the smack of their bodies banging each other, the pureblood's whimpers in agony, yet somewhere between his pants I heard his repeated confession "I love you, Zero."

_**- to be continued -**_

_Posted: 16 Feb 2013_

_Could you let me know what you think about this chapter?_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N**__: Thank you for all your supports and wonderful reviews! This is the __finale __chapter __of the story and it took 2 weeks to finish. I hope you will like the happy ending :-)_

**CHAPTER ****6**

My brother woke up around noon on the following day, alone in his lover's hospital room, bedsheet, flowers and fruit had been changed once again. He's wearing a clean set of patient pajamas while his own clothes had been laundered and ready on an armchair next to the bed. He couldn't remember clearly what happened yesterday as the heat clouded his mind, but some details before he completely lost his lucidity gave him a vague idea of why he had ended up at this place. Under the shower, he got a chance to check his body, and found his red rose had predictably disappeared. He gazed at the plain skin of his upper arm and rubbed over the place where his purity mark once existed. For a hunter, it should only happen after their wedding night. To comply with it, he had endured the frantic heat for years, but all efforts became meaningless since it was finally lost in an insignificant day as any other days at month-end. Water rinsed soap foam away, revealing his spotless skin, he had really become a man, the lost mark would never re-appear, but it hadn't been reborn on another upper arm as it should have.

His hands moved down to the manhood which had recovered to its normal state, no bruises, no scrapes, no sore feelings as it had usually been after an outburst. In the previous times, he had had to tie his ankles and wrists to limit the injuries he caused to his own body, but this time there was no damage, even without any restriction. He felt tired, however, it wasn't the complete exhaustion as before, real intercourse had helped to cut it short, and let him sleep peacefully since this morning. He hadn't been alone the day before, though that person had thoughtfully removed his own presence to give him some private time to calm down and meditate upon what had happened between them.

Changed back to his clothes, Zero walked out from the bathroom, immediately spotted a tall, slender figure standing at the door. Despite of his colorless face with the lips which were somewhat inflamed, Kaname looked captivating in a white dress shirt all buttoned up, under a charcoal cloth-backed waistcoat, and a tie in the same color. His dressing style usually credited him with an elegant, sophisticated impression of his honorable linage, though I would like to give him more compliments for taking time to care about his appearance just after being ravished ruthlessly, and I was sure while my brother was sleeping satisfactorily this morning, he stayed to lick all over his lover's body to relax his sore muscles and healed the bruises on his manhood. Pureblood's saliva magically had a power to ease off the injuries and urged its healing. Unfortunately, it didn't work on his own, and since the anti-vampire poison from the hunter bracelet hadn't totally faded in his system, his inflamed lips weren't healed and looked pretty awful, yet sowed in my heart a touch of sympathy, gratitude and affection knowing how they had been ravaged.

"I am sorry." His voice was gentle, encompassing his immense love to my brother "What I did was unforgivable."

"Did I hurt you?" That's all Zero wanted to ask. Not blaming him for solving it on his own initiative, not accusing him for downgrading his value in our traditional standards, all he cared right now was how he had hurt him.

"I am fine." Deep in the pureblood's charming eyes, I saw contentment, as each time receiving a few words of concern from my brother. It was like a great reward which he endlessly tried to earn, and ecstatically thrilled to receive.

Zero loved him, yet he didn't believe they could have a future, he had never endeavored to cultivate their relationship, while Kaname considered it the meaning of his life, and clung to him, provoked his compassion, desperately begged for his attention. I had wondered if Kaname truly loved Zero and would remain by his side in difficulty. For New Year's occasion, my brother had brought him to Okinawa, to reveal where he belonged to, what the important values of his life were, how their worlds differentiated from each other. And at the end, he let him go, between love and our everlasting family traditions, Zero had to sacrifice one. He couldn't break his words with me, his late twin brother, he couldn't abandon our doleful mother, he had to turn Kaname down, and selfishly hoped the pureblood's strong will and limitless time would bring him a chance to meet someone who would sacrifice everything else to be with him.

"I don't deserve your love." Zero murmured.

"Why not?"

"I can't put you at my first priority."

"You don't have to worry for me." It was his usual attitude of an unconditional love, too generous that it made me doubt for his intentions. You could be kind, you could be a natural giver, but you should have one or two expectations from the person you loved, to explain why you must love that one, and couldn't be another.

"Then what is the difference between Ichijou and myself or any men out there?" Zero yelled and turned his back to his lover. "I don't know how to forgive your compromise to sleep with both your lover and his grandfather at the same time." Although he was an old-fashioned type, he forced himself to follow our ancient traditions, not meaning he couldn't understand how the world had changed and how people wished to dedicate to their love. Kaname was twenty year older, and had had a long term relationship before him, if Zero truly appreciated virginity, he wouldn't have fallen in love with him. However, modern people still disapproved incestuous relationships. Vampires allowed intermarriage, but still forbid one to have relations with two different generations in the same family. Something like that was disgusting and disparaging in any societies even if it happened in the name of love.

"Punish me! You can kill me if you see fit." The pureblood clasped his arms around my brother's waist and leaned on him desperately.

In such a moment, it was hard to say if he was in a sound mind. Zero didn't push him away, yet made no move to comfort him "You want me just because you want a chance to be happy. What is the point if I kill you, Kaname?"

The embrace around my brother was tightened, he could feel his lover tenderly rest a side of his face on his shoulder "Chairman Cross told me about the ultimate traditions in a hunter family many years ago. I knew the wife must follow her husband when he passes away. I knew she would be killed if her husband's crest didn't appear on her upper arm after their wedding night. Since we started, I have always got myself ready to be yours and die in your hands... I'm ready right now."

"You..." Zero broke his embrace to face him. Those sentences were incredible. I had known about the close relation between uncle Cross and Kaname, but never thought the pureblood was aware of our customs from the beginning, yet persistently tried to maintain their relationship. Why should he waste his time for someone who wouldn't bring him happiness? What would he earn at the end of the path?

Pearly tears rolling on his pallid face, but a withered smile glimmered on bruised lips "I want your love, Zero! You told me by yourself, a hunter won't get into a casual relationship. You wouldn't have accepted my confession if you hadn't had any feelings for me. I knew we couldn't be together. Death is my ultimate outcome, but I can only get it if you really love me and take me as your partner."

So it wasn't a blind promise when Kaname said he wouldn't leave my brother even if he had to die before following him to our home. It wasn't in a careless, thoughtless moment that he begged to have three years with him. When Zero presumed he was too lonely and would seize any available man to console his broken heart, the pureblood actually had fallen in love with him and determined to dedicate his whole life for this love. Some people believed happiness went along with wealth and success, some others thought happiness only come when being together with their loved ones, and Kaname, his happiness was the moment he could touch my brother's heart, it wouldn't last forever, it wouldn't last a lifetime, it might be wrapped within that moment only "To marry a hunter is to give your whole life to him. You live to serve him, and bear his children. If your manners break any of the rules or your inability make you fail to satisfy his demands, death shall be your expiation."

It was the basic rule for a wife of a hunter. It clearly stated what would come to her once failed to please her husband, while none of our rules clarified the consequence of a husband who didn't fulfill his duties, because a hunter had to follow many other strict regulations and disciplines which might cause his failure to be responsible and caring to his woman, and the wife's sole role was to stand behind her husband and support whatever he did.

It wasn't fair, but to hear it from Kaname, whose superiority, dignity and power were much more than eligible to made stricter demands to the others, yet took that regulation by heart and willingly implemented it for another man, it's no longer a feel of inequality as usual, but an eye opening for the me who always thought was wise enough to see everything behind the scenes, to understand everything behind their words, and to anticipate everything behind their intentions.

Kaname wasn't shallow to get over his thirty year relationship and fall for a new one within six months, he wasn't blind to love my brother without getting to know about his origin, his background, and his ambitions. While Zero still suspected his love for him, he desperately sought to extend their time together, from a suggestion of two year internship if they couldn't reach to the next level, to a plea of three year period as a couple, but at the same time wished to consummately become his and take his punishment each time they met. When you had an eternity, the length of your life might not be counted by how many days you could breathe in, but how many happy moments you could collect. To be sincerely loved, to be approved as a partner, Kaname once thought he had got them from Ichijou's deceitful promise, and for it he had spent thirty long years trying, in a hope his words would come true. And now, for my brother's love, he was ready to exchange his own life.

Finally they had gotten back to each other's embrace, it was the first time Zero had responded to his lover's cling with passion, the first time he touched him not to comfort him or prevent him from feeling hurt, the first time he conceded defeat to his persistence and gave in to his own feelings.

"You're silly, Kaname!"

The pureblood probably realised the intensification of this embrace, he cuddled up closely to my brother, as if wanting to be immersed into him, to blend with his fervency, to become one entity with him "Your monthly heat won't disturb you again. It was an autosuggestion since you had seen your twin brother in that situation. His explicit image carved in your brain combining with your love for him and your regret for losing him has caused a psychological impact and controlled your subconscious to put you in that condition."

"You scanned my memories?" Zero asked, with amazement more than anger.

"I only tapped on some images when our bodies were jointed." Kaname admitted honestly "I have erased a few dreadful moments in your memories to cut off the repetition." His fingers gripped my brother's shirt passionately, urging him to tighten his embrace and squeeze him more. "I am sorry, Zero! I couldn't let you suffer it every month. What I did was unforgivable. I don't know how your customs will sentence me, but whatever it is, I will obey."

"Promise me you will never sneak in my mind again, never try to manipulate me." My brother detached themselves to cup his lover's pale face, guiding him to look straight at his determined eyes. Pureblood's powers were unlimited, it was why we were taught to never put our guard down in front of one, despite that we had been in a peace treaty for ages. Nevertheless, Zero had spent many nights at Kaname's house, had stopped struggling as soon as sensing his aura, had expected him to control his blood lust without putting it into words, perhaps in the innermost of his denial, his subconscious had already trusted the pureblood's love.

"I won't." Kaname uttered, probably thinking he wouldn't have another chance to do it again. I spiritually believed my brother's heat came from my soul which was sheltering in him, but this phenomenon could be scientifically explained as an autosuggestion as his lover said. Nobody wanted the others to read their mind and alter their memories. The pureblood didn't expect to be forgiven easily for his disrespectful action, though it had come from a very good intention.

"I would like to give you the Kiryuu crest. Would you accept it?"

Absolute daze flooded over his face, reflecting in those alluring claret eyes, glowing in his glistening tears, blending in the tremble of tapping fingers wrapping on his beloved's ones. Zero wasn't quite sure how to confess to another man, or how his lover would take it. The Kurans had their own values and traditions, Kaname stood on a higher position than his, and had offered to spread his full wings to support his career. In other aspect, he had openly expressed his submission, and considerately tended on my brother in the past year. But what Zero was asking was an utter submission, to relinquish his status of the Kuran heir to be a Kiryuu, to take him not as a lover, but as his Lord, to legitimately give him the right to control his life, as all of the Kiryuu daughters-in-law in every generation had complied.

"Is it... possible?" Kaname stuttered.

"Yes." My brother answered firmly "I want you to be my wife."

"I'm yours, Zero!" The pureblood said with ecstasy on his expression "Please decide for me."

ZxK

The Cross Academy crest was the original symbol of the Hunter Association, before it was modified by replacing the blooming rose with a sharp symbol, and changing the four spearheads into sword emblems. Our ancestor was the first HA president, who had designed the original hunter symbol and put our family crest as its center. Many thousand years later, other hunter families grew much stronger and pressed for a symbol modification, because they found it unfair that all hunters had to wear a tattoo of the Kiryuu crest, which was inserted in the hunter symbol, on their bodies as if an acknowledge of allegiance to our family. Nowadays, this problem had been resolved by the new hunter symbol which carried a similarity of the old one, but no trace of our crest, and that red rose of ours only bloomed on the Kiryuu hunters and those who was admitted into our family.

Zero came to meet his lover in a luxury hotel at late afternoon with a box of tattooing tools. Before separating earlier, he had helped him to rent a room for better privacy, and even went to meet Ichijou and his fated lover on the pureblood's behalf. Tsubasa was being monitored by the best doctors of the hospital. As the surgeon who had operated on him, Kaname should have come to check his patient, but my brother didn't want him to meet Ichijou, especially in his current state. His attitude toward the noble was changed from indifferent to hostile within a single day, making the latter quite confused.

"Kaname and I are leaving for the holidays, we don't hope to be disturbed by you once more. You should learn to trust your beloved in another doctor's hands, Ichijou! Because I won't let Kaname handle your emergency ever again."

The noble was dumbfounded as Zero walked away without waiting to hear his answer. It looked kind of interesting, and somehow I started feeling elated that my brother wasn't alone anymore. He was intervening in his lover's issues, meaning he was binding their lives together. Maybe their happiness wouldn't be ever after because of their variety of differences, but for the time being, they were in love.

Kaname greeted him with a beautiful smile, his bruised lips seemed to give out a sensual invitation for a deep kiss, I wasn't sure if my brother thought similarly when his look fell onto them and his tongue unconsciously, implicatively licked over his own dry lips, yet he managed to pass over his lover to get inside. The room was brightened by the lamps around the corners, three layers of thick curtains were closely down to prevent brilliant sunlight during the day. The luxury bed remained its initial arrangement for new customers with ten plush pillows of different sizes laying on a comfortable feather-bed mattress, which was covered in a sateen blended cotton sheet, producing a matte, soft feel of fabulousness, and inconspicuously inspiring some subtle, indescribable desire. It was the first time they were genuinely alone together.

Zero pulled the low, round table near a rest chair closer to the bed, and put his tattooing box on, carefully taking each item out, placing them in the order which they would be used, and finally left his empty box on the floor. All those were for creating the Kiryuu crest on his lover's upper arm. Tattooing had been a common practice in hunter families since time immemorial. Each hunter had at least two on his body, one was the hunter symbol which would be granted after he finished his training, and one was his own family crest, certainly after the wedding night, as his birth one disappeared. The hunter women only had one mark, which was their husband's family crest. Today Zero had asked Kaname if he consented to bear the Kiryuu crest. I believed it was his way to propose him, and for hunters, there's no divorce, it would be a 'together through life and death' oath he would like to make with his lover.

A pair of affectionate arms wrapped around him from behind, a familiar, warm weight leaned on his back, a touched, gentle whisper poured into his ear "Thank you, Zero!"

He lovingly lapped his hands on that tight embrace "For what, Kaname?"

"For accepting me, for giving me this happiness."

"It should be my line, I must thank you for tolerating my selfishness and stepping back to make way for me to accept our relationship." Zero said honestly. At some point, a relationship between two men usually put one at a disadvantage, especially when both of them came from great families. For a woman, no matter how honorable her origin was, she didn't think it was unfair to follow her husband's family name or forever be on the receiving end in bed. But if both of them were male, one must step back for the other. It could be different for other couples, but I believed while my brother was ready to sacrifice his own life for his lover, our education and our culture made it impossible for him to give up on his masculine pride to submit to another man, no matter how much he loved him. Thanks to the pureblood's generosity, Zero could feel comfortable enough to give in to his feeling "I will try my best to protect you, and take care of you. We won't live as other hunter couples, I will also respect you, listen to you, you don't need to serve me as you did last year. I... I didn't say it earlier because I wanted to make you get tired of me."

Those sincere words had a magic to enchant the listener. With a soft tone, my brother was talking about their future together, and I somehow started seeing vague images of their happiness, among the doubts and worries of many challenges and obstacles which were waiting to destroy them.

"That's more than what I've ever dreamed of. I will wish for nothing else from now on, but I want to serve you, Zero! Please let me continue!" The pureblood's whisper moved the air to brush teasingly on my brother's earlobe, coaxing him in an infatuation "I can't bear your children, but I will love you and take care of you no less than any women to their husband, I will not let you feel less than any other hunters for choosing me. I will spend each day of our precious three years to love you. I promise I will respect your custom and what must be done when the time is up."

Zero suddenly turned around, looking fiercely into his lover's eyes "Don't say like that again! You are my one and only for all my life. I don't intend to ever let you go."

Kaname stared at him in confusion "But..."

"If I am sterilised, they can't blame my wife." My brother said calmly "A vasectomy will fix it once and for all. I have many cousins and they will have children. My father will surely find a successor among them."

I almost couldn't believe in my ears. Even in the weirdest dream, I wouldn't expect to hear Zero saying those undutiful words with such a steadfast, resolute attitude. He was the heir of our family, our father's only pride, our mother's last hope, he had lived twenty five years straightly for our expectations and reputation. Since when did his mind start pondering on an escape for love? Since when did he start thinking about a vasectomy? I startled in surprise and embarrassment that I actually didn't understand my brother at all. I assumed he hadn't wanted to meet Aimi earlier because seeing her or not didn't change the fact that she would be his wife. The truth probably was he had never planned to marry her, and while he turned down all the girls who confessed to him, he's actually looking for his true love. He might not love Kaname yet when approaching him in the first place, but his heart probably whistled that the pureblood was his ideal type, and urged him to get closer. Bringing him home wasn't to discourage him and let him go, but to confirm his intuition was right, Kaname would choose to stay by his side in any circumstances. That's why he immediately had a solution for them after deciding to let his feeling blossom. Well, it's just another supposition of mine, I wasn't sure if it's true, I couldn't say for him, but if we were twin brothers, I thought I would be at least correct at one point: Zero wouldn't run away with Kaname and turn his back to our family.

The pureblood still hadn't regained his composure from his lover's definitive statement. Since the day he confessed to him, or I should say since the day my brother reached out for his embrace twenty five years ago, he had never imagined they could have a lifetime. Now being hugged tightly by his fated lover, he couldn't believe it wasn't a dream. Zero even sweetened their moment with more loving words "I usually love you holding me, but I would prefer you holding me in my front, so I can hold you back."

They stayed silently in each other's arms, savoring the flourishing of their love. In this fragile instant, I found myself smiling with them. Even if everybody would oppose their relationship, while I was too useless and worthless to help them, I would keep praying for their happiness. Zero had always been better than me, he's healthier, harder, braver, and I sincerely hoped he would be luckier in love.

They sat down on the edge of the bed, Kaname slowly unbuttoned his dress shirt, and pulled it off for the work. My brother's eyes widened seeing many bruises all over his body, the left shoulder was swollen and red from a strain, there's even a dark strangling mark around his pale neck. Just a couple of days before, his body was immaculate as a statue, all those were an undeniable result of what Zero had done to him in hysterics yesterday, and it explained why he had had to dress carefully to hide them. My brother's hand trembled when tentatively touching those livid bruises, angry wasn't a sufficient word to describe how he was feeling about himself. After waiting for a year, all Kaname got was a brutal night with an insane lover, who took pleasure from hurting him without restraint, but in our hunter society, he would forever bear the accusation of taking my brother's first time while he himself wasn't pure. But who was actually not pure last night? Who was shaded by an obsessive lust and hurt the person he claimed to love?

"You should have tied me up." Zero muttered with deep remorse.

"I'll be fine," Kaname held his lover's hand which was placing on his chest "I won't break easily."

Those injuries should have vanished if the anti-vampire bracelet hadn't poisoned him and slowed down his healing power. The skin on his left hand seemed gray as it wasn't nurtured properly due to the severe damage on his wrist. I used to have many doubts about their relationship, but two days following my brother to our home had made it clear that Kaname truly loved him and had been amenably following our rule by putting himself at the mercy of his lover, trusting in him, and accepting all of his decisions. It would have been easier if he immobilized Zero to avoid his violence, yet he let him free to do whatever he liked, and used clothes to cover the traces in his eyes. If Zero hadn't wished to give him our family crest, he would never have known exactly what Kaname had suffered to cure him.

"I wanted to give up, because I was afraid I couldn't protect you from my family." Zero muttered sadly "The truth is I even can't protect you from myself."

"It was my fault. I'm despicable for taking advantage of your condition to steal your first time." Kaname said with bitterness and uncertainty in his gentle voice "But when you pinned me down, or squeezed me in your hands, I felt delighted because you wanted me."

The pureblood might have a masochistic nature which subtly influenced his behaviours and polished them so delicate, as the way it enhanced his beauty and increased his bewitchment to the point that I didn't get any gross feeling seeing him clinging to my brother, and that masochistic nature made him yearn to be dominated. However, it could possibly, simply be his coaxing words to ease my brother's remorse. As Zero judged his own action to be definitely wrong, if the consequence as how his lover took it wasn't as bad as he thought, it should be enough a reason to feel easier, at the same time gave him confidence and encouragement to try again and improve it in the way which would be right to his judgment and enjoyable to both of them.

"Next time let me know when I hurt you."

The pureblood nodded, his face started blushing naturally as a teenager. As his admission, he usually got thrilled to receive my brother's concern, which showed how rare he got a sincere care, how lonely he was, and how much he yearned to be loved. He might have met many people, might have seen many situations, but it was the first time for him, for both of them, to experience how to love and be equally loved back. My brother gently straightened his lover's right arm, rubbing to check his biceps, and feeling glad that it wasn't injured.

"In my family, all men will tattoo the family crest on their left arm, right on the disappeared birth mark. For the wives, it will appear on their right arm after they consummated their marriage. I would like to give you the tattoo on here."

Kaname understood what he meant. Although Zero had already asked him and got his consent, now it's going to be done for real, he wanted to say it clearly once more, and explained the meaning of its position to him. There would be no break-up, at least from my brother's side, so he didn't wish the pureblood would regret in the future, and wanted him to re-consider this decision carefully and make sure he was absolutely alright with it.

"Please don't change your mind." Kaname smiled.

Zero was embarrassed as his lover could read in between his lines so well and told him exactly the sentence he wanted to say, but he didn't hide his relief as starting for the preparation. Tattoo was a form of body modification, made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change its pigment. In our traditional method, it was done by puncturing the skin with needles. It was painful, and if you were curious, I could confirm that nobody got anesthesia before getting a tattoo, for a simple reason that you would need a medical doctor to inject that dose of anesthesia, while there was normally no doctor available at a tattoo shop, but the pain should be sufferable, especially when you were determined to have it. And if you wondered if a pureblood could keep a tattoo on his body, the answer was yes, as long as the ink could permanently alter his pigment at that place.

After shaving and cleansing the skin on his lover's right biceps, though I bet you would have no luck to find a single strand of hair on his body, Zero opened a set of outlining needles and other two sets of shading needles "These are the needles we have used for all tattoos in our family since the first generation. They were cleaned after each time, but we don't sterilise them as in the modern medical standards. If you are a member of the Kiryuus, the previous members' blood will join yours through these needles, and your blood will be transferred to the next one through them. Our ancestor made them from the finest metal we had, the anti-vampire metal."

While they were safe to us, they would harm Kaname if the punctures were deeper than necessary. When a hunter weapon hurt a vampire, its poison prevented his injury from getting healed, he would die if the injury was too serious, or survive if his immune system could finally, slowly struggle to surpass the poison. A tattoo would remain on a pureblood's body if it was created by piercing those anti-vampire needles to his dermis skin to weaken the biological cells at that place enough to alter their pigment permanently. Since the poison only affected his skin, it wouldn't cause a real damage, however, the pain would be much worse than what we were supposed to endure for a tattoo.

"Let me know if I hurt you." Zero considerately repeated his words.

The set of outlining needles consisted of eight needles soldering to each other to make a line. My brother's first punctures were very careful and gentle, he worked slowly and purposely paused in between to help his lover get used to them. Kaname stayed still, his calm, relaxing expression assured him that everything was fine and he could accomplish it with no worries. Silence floated over them, only the sound of my brother's needles smoothly pricking his lover's skin could be heard in their room. The pureblood wasn't sinewy, his muscles were firm and lean as a man at his best health condition, however, his skin was very soft, and somehow gave Zero a good feeling while holding his arm, even though it wasn't intimacy he was aiming at. My brother tried his best to adjust the strength of his hand and make sure to give his lover no redundant punch, our emblematic rose pattern was outlined little by little in medium black strokes, and at last fully bloomed on the pureblood's right arm as a proud masterpiece of their passionate love.

When the needles were put down, Kaname exhaled a sigh of relief. He was actually very tense from the piercing pain, but keeping his breaths evenly to avoid interrupting my brother's work. It seemed his arm had been numb, he didn't try to move it, but looked fixedly at the incomplete symbol on his skin. The Kurans didn't carve their crest on their body, as purebloods were proud of their natural flawlessness, they had no marks, no moles, no freckles on their impeccable skin. Kaname had been absolutely immaculate, but from now on, he carried the Kiryuu mark as an evidence that he had given himself to my brother, he belonged to him.

"I'm using my blood as the shading color." Zero uttered, remembering how his lover had reacted to his bleeding scratches yesterday. The pureblood couldn't suppress his instinct, his eyes turned into crimson by lust, and he had to struggle difficultly to deal with it. If possible, I would have passed out from nervousness. I had seen Shizuka's red eyes a few times while she was drinking blood, it was a horrifying image, those bright blooded eyes always made me think about the headlights, and despite of how pretty she looked in normal circumstances, in those moments I could see clearly she was a blood sucking monster. Yet Zero didn't seem to find the same horror in his lover, even if Kaname was obviously yearning for his blood. Now he was ready to put himself in this risk again. For the shading color, we used our blood to mix with a special carrier to create our distinctive red ink. My brother didn't plan to substitute blood with anything else and lessen the meaning of the tattoo he was giving to his lover.

Hearing the desirous blood would be shed again, Kaname was panicked, surely loathed falling into situations which would remind my brother of their opposite origins. "I will try to suppress my reaction. But even if my eye color changes, I'm totally in control. I won't attack you." He said with determination "I swear."

"Don't be silly! I trust you." Zero caressed his cheek "But I know it'll be uncomfortable. Please tolerate it!"

It's rather shocking to see someone you reckoned would never open his heart to anybody turned out to be a passionate, enthusiastic lover. I guessed I had been wrong again, my brother was actually a very good husband material. To use your strength to protect your loved ones was already glorified manners, but to expose your weakness, and put yourself at your lover's mercy was the highest level of trust and love expression which not anybody could do. My heart cheered up to see Zero trust Kaname no less than the pureblood did to him. Without saying those three classic, holy words, he had thoroughly conveyed his fervent love to him.

Shading a tattoo was done by using a set of twelve needles together with another set of thirteen needles. Each set was made in a shape of a fan and the needles were soldered to one another. It required a master skill to insert the ink into the skin properly. Zero had paid his best concentration when learning tattooing. To think back of those days, I wondered if he had learned it for this particular work, his hand was proficient as a real expert, eyes fully focusing on coloring the rose, nothing else could make a ripple in his mind to distract him, not the pressure from what was waiting to shatter them in the future, not any kinds of risk which might occur between a predator and a prey or a vampire and a vampire hunter. His fresh scent of blood nonchalantly surrounded them, surrounded their senses, the pureblood turned away, squeezing his eyes shut, struggling to soothe his own shaking.

After an hour which seemed long as a century, our red rose was completed on the pale arm, Zero had precisely extracted enough blood for his work, when he finished, nothing remained in the bowl, its smell also diluted significantly. He scrutinized the rose with deep satisfaction before dressing his lover's arm to avoid air-born bacteria invading the wound. Since hunter poison was involved, and Kaname wasn't at his best state, those aftercare steps should be followed with cautions. When the bandage was done, he pulled the shaking pureblood into his arms, carefully assured their contact wouldn't hurt his lover's puncture wound, and whispered gently "Look at me, please!"

Kaname slid his soft hair on my brother's collar, but refused to do what he asked. Zero raised his chin, and caressed his face until the warmth from his fingers could abate the pureblood's anxiety and make him feel comfortable enough to open his eyes. It was the inhuman crimson color, yet my brother's arms stayed protective and caring around him, without hesitation, he bowed down, kissing on his lips. Kaname was surprised, but quickly opened his mouth to welcome my brother's passion. Vampires were instinctively thirst for the blood of their beloved. It was a wild conception which humans could hardly accept, as blood shedding was usually viewed as a crime in our society. As a hunter, Zero couldn't let his lover drink from him, plus, his lover was a pureblood, getting bitten by him would ruin his whole life. Yet he didn't want Kaname to think there's a part of him which he rejected. He wanted to fully accept him, both the aspects which he appreciated, and the aspects which were against his morality. Their kiss was hesitant at first, then gradually became fervid, the pureblood turned around, intensely holding my brother, zealously sealing their lips to each other, shy sounds of the symphony between their lips and tongues boiled up the air around them. I remembered they had kissed a few times before, but all those were very quick, and definitely not that enthusiastic. Kaname finally pulled both of them down on the bedsheet, with Zero on top of him, and pushing the silk comforter disheveled, his eyes had regained the usual claret charm.

"Don't hide your thirst from me. Show me your true color, as I'm laying myself bare to you." My brother still wanted to linger on his lover's sweet lips.

"I love you, Zero!" The pureblood stuttered while catching his breaths "I will never hurt you."

"I'm sorry I can't give you an eternity. I was born as a human and one day I want to die as one." My brother's head rose up a few inch over his lover's, in an intimate position, he told him his crucial term in their relationship and a faithful promise "In my family, when a man dies, his crest on his wife's arm will also die and destroy her from the inside. That's why she has to commit suicide before the painful death comes. The tattoo I've given to you is my recognition of you as my partner, and my commitment to you, it will remain on your arm as long as I'm alive. When I die, it will gradually disappear, and you will be free."

It was fair enough. Some other human might wish to become the same race as their lover to be together with them forever, they might have their own arguments and belief which convinced them it was the right way to maintain their relationship. Yet Zero couldn't do it. The Kiryuus couldn't have an ex-human, and not for some reason like he had fallen in love with a pureblood. Betraying our father's expectations, evading his duties as our family's heir were already a big sin which I was afraid a part of him would forever felt guilty for. He couldn't go further than that, he couldn't put love at first priority and threw everything else away. Consequently, he couldn't expect Kaname to do more than what he had already sacrificed for their relationship. The pureblood's past didn't belong to him, neither did his future. Present was all they had, to hold, to enjoy, to treasure together.

"I will end my life before it fades out." The pureblood's smile was warm and charming while Zero got stunned at his words.

"Kaname, I've never supported this custom. I don't want you to comply with it. It's already enough to be with me as long as I live."

"I know I won't be allowed to be buried in the same grave with you, but..." The pureblood stuttered, alluring smile had vanished, distress saddened his face which had just been lit up by my brother's promise of commitment. His reaction reminded me of our great aunt once again, she would have exchanged everything to get what Zero just told Kaname, she would have accepted any conditions to keep on living after her husband passed away. Of course their situations were different, she didn't love our great uncle, while the pureblood was so in love with my brother. "... please don't force me to live without you!"

Somehow I felt tears brimming over my eyes. It must be my own feelings, because I wasn't able to sense Zero's. Many years before I had died alone, and I would be alone on my way to the Hades, however, I was still lingering on waiting for justice, hoping to take revenge on Shizuka. But even if she would be killed and go along with me, we wouldn't be leaving this world hand in hand as a couple. Hand in hand as a couple, if you were lucky, you might not know how difficult it was to find that person and how meaningful it was to have someone who was willing to be with you through life and death. Sometimes you thought you had it, or sometimes you were deceived, then when that person got tired of the game, and left you behind, you bitterly realised you had been wrong. That's why I believed hearing those words was already a bless, because I even hadn't had a chance to hear. Now I felt jealous, happily jealous with my brother's luck, at the same time grateful to Kaname, grateful that he had been there when our father showed us to Ichijou, grateful that he had quietly followed my brother's developments over the years, grateful he had braved up to start a relationship with him, and insistently persuaded him of his sincerity. If it wasn't him, if it wasn't his passionate love, Zero couldn't have overcome the boundary of our rigorous customs to reach his true happiness. He was afraid of hurting the others' feelings, he was disheartened by the meaningless, unfruitful marriages of our previous generations. In the afternoon before I left home, he was very sad. When he came to meet me for the last time, then carried my lifeless body in his arms, he didn't say a word. I had never seen he shed a tear. I knew he would rather swallow all his tears down, or pretend that he wasn't affected. Difficulty, loss couldn't knock him off, but in this moment, I suddenly heard his sobbing, his body pressed closely on his lover, and his tone had obviously changed "You are all I have, Kaname! Don't leave me alone!"

Illusory tears had fallen down my face, I remembered my last minute, when there was no time left, no strength, no opportunity, no hope, I was like a worn-out candle in the wind, but I wasn't ready. I had been cruelly deceived, I couldn't make up my mind to accept that death was my result for trusting the wrong person. Zero understood it, he saw through me as he knew my personality, knew my wishes, knew my dreams. He wouldn't wish to repeat my failure, he must have worried when finding himself falling for a pureblood. Yet he got close to Kaname as his heart desired, at the same time trying to deny his own feelings. I thought he was a rational person, I thought he was more mature than his age, but he was now laying himself bare, showing his weakness, exposing his vulnerability. He was no smart than a mid-twenty man in his first love, he decided to stop acting calmly to keep up with his twenty year older lover. Our great aunt's death had obsessed both of us for a long time. We knew it wasn't right, nobody had the right to require the other to end their own life, despite of what relationship we were in, despite of how much we loved each other. Nevertheless, we couldn't deny the fact that we adored the persons who lived and died for their love. We were willing to devote our life to our other half, and wished to meet someone who would do the same. Being overwhelmed with the pureblood's utmost love, embracing him with both of his arms, and sobbing in his ears, my brother let himself fall.

There was only a few hours left until we saw the New Year in. As in our traditions, we must be home and participate in the ceremonies and parties in our family, where Zero couldn't take Kaname with him. What were promised in this room, what were exchanged from the bottom of their hearts, and how they behaved in public might never be consistent. My brother would forever be a Kiryuu hunter, and his lover a Kuran pureblood, but somewhere behind all eyes they would discreetly get to each other's embrace, as how it was in this invaluable moment, and under the elegant, sophisticated suit, it would be revealed that Kaname bore a Kiryuu crest on his right arm.

"You will always have me, Zero!" The pureblood tenderly soothed my brother's emotion, his arms loosened a little bit as Zero stirred on his bare skin to nudge closer to him. All of a sudden, he felt a lick on his neck, claret eyes were widened with amazement, the warm tongue repeated its fondness over and over, patiently moistening his biting area, telling him it wasn't his imagination. Licking the neck was an extremely intimate act to vampires, before they performed a love bite. Our knowledge didn't say a human neck was sensitive enough to get pleasure when being stimulated, yet Kaname was a pureblood, my brother got very pleased seeing his lover unconsciously inclining his head to give him better access, then shyly putting a hand on his lips to cover his craving moans. Sweet licks began spreading to the other side, fanatically, fervently as if wanting to compensate for the brutal strangle he had given to him in hysterics, a gasp of ecstasy irrepressibly slipped out of his lover's mouth as his teeth teasingly scraped on his yearning skin. Human teeth weren't sharp enough to pierce through flesh without real exertion, a blunt bite couldn't press the sacred blood to flow out, yet Zero didn't aim at his blood, what he was doing was purely for his pleasure. Kaname writhed desirously beneath him, grinding his own body against his lover's lower part, urging him to give him more.

"I apologize for my rudeness yesterday." My brother muttered.

"I don't have any hard feeling for our first time." The pureblood said tenderly "I'm satisfied with these marks, because it was you who gave them to me."

Zero's face was terribly reddened, at the same time feeling a desire which he had never cared before increasing in each of his cells. "Can we... do it again? It wasn't totally me yesterday, I would like to give you my first time now." His voice was hardly audible, yet in such a quiet room, it was well-heard to his lover, and also to an uninvited, redundant, invisible guest like me.

I laughed in silence, it sounded rather weird, but my brother's thought was entirely adorable. If only I could make an excuse, I would be happy to slide out and give them complete privacy. Unlucky them, I had to remain where I was, and acted as a nasty voyeur.

"I'm yours, Zero! You don't need to ask for it." Kaname replied with delight reflecting on his face. It's certainly what he had been waiting for. Over the year I had seen him holding my brother, intensely and desperately as if he needed his body warmth to drive his loneliness away. Weird that I hadn't thought he wanted him. Intimacy was a natural need when people was in love. I assumed Kaname needed a company, an attachment, a closeness, and sex was an undetachable part which he was ready to give to earn the things he needed back. However, the truth was much simpler and more straightforward, he had incessantly tried to rouse my brother's desire because he wanted to sleep with the man he loved.

Zero unlocked the belt, then pulled his lover's pants and underwear off his body, his movements were pretty clumsy, somehow he managed to distract his eyes to another way, shyly avoiding looking at the pureblood's private part which had become so exhibitory as both of his legs were folded up and spreading wide, yet he couldn't really hide the defiance which was growing tightly in his own pants. With lumbering hands, he eventually finished undressing himself, and it seemed to take forever when he got busy in pushing down their discarded clothes and some pillows to make space for both of them on the bed. At last, Kaname decided to rise up and break their awkwardness "Let me turn around first!"

"Don't move... you're not feeling well." Zero hastily stopped him with a gentle push, and stammering a few words as though his speaking skill had somehow become a problem.

Amethyst eyes fell off the track in a graceless instant, all of his efforts for a silly evasion went in vain as he got to see **_him_**. The pink manhood at its full vigor was lying on his lover's stomach, Zero startled with severe embarrassment, but before he diverted to another direction, his betrayed eyes were caught into the lower part, and refused to follow his will. The skin around the furrowed circle was shaded in a pinkish hue which made it become more appealing on pale complexion. Kaname was still inflamed from my brother's ravishment, unfortunately, it wasn't very bad to evoke a reluctance. On the contrary, it seemed to bring out its best tint to complete a fervent, irresistible invitation. His flower bud wasn't tightly closed, it looked somehow stretched with the puffy ring was shyly contracting and dilating in anticipation.

As a mayfly being drawn to a flame, a drinkaholic smelling a good brandy, the masculineness in me immediately registered the meaning of that heavenly cavern and developed an urgent need to be swallowed in. I might have seen how a man fuck a man when being locked together with the other blood-drunken ex-humans at Shizuka's place, I might have done it myself, but it was a totally crazy, uncontrollable act, we coerced the weaker and had our way on them. There was no significance, no enjoyment. We didn't care for our partners, we even were unaware of our own pleasure. All my life, I had never been lucky enough to experience a pure desire, to meet someone who wanted to have me because they so much loved me, but I could imagine it would be an exalted turn-on. My brother unwillingly trailed his look back to his lover's longing eyes, this time trying to ignore the eager tip of his own throbbing arousal which was being perked up, impatiently waiting for an invasion.

"Guide me how to make you feel good." He murmured. His face couldn't get any redder than it already was, nevertheless, I sincerely admired his honesty. I hadn't had the courage to expose my anxiety in front of Shizuka, since she was much older and full of experience, I was afraid she would mock at my immaturity. Yet Zero felt safe enough to reveal his inexperience to his lover. It wasn't only about our different characters, but also how he felt for him, which was completely different from what I had ever felt for Shizuka, he knew Kaname wouldn't let him down, no matter how terrible his technique was.

"Please let me taste your excitement." The pureblood whispered, his beautiful eyes became so dreamy with covetousness and waiting, and while I thought nobody could turn such a tempting request down, my brother actually did it.

"No. This time let me give you pleasure. Let me..." Zero was hesitant for a full second, but swiftly made his decision "... suck you!"

His lover smiled "Come closer! If you don't want me to move, please bring yourself to my mouth."

My brother's amethyst eyes were widened, it's not how he had planned, yet he didn't know what to do otherwise. As though being hypnotized, he docilely dragged his knees along the pureblood's sides, Kaname cooperatively raised both arms so that my brother could reach close to his face, until the sturdy erection was right at his bruised lips.

The air was heated up as Kaname sheathed my brother completely, my eyes shifted from Zero's ecstatic facial expression to his lover's craving lips which were gaping around him. The pureblood's flushing cheeks were sunken to suck the big thing in his mouth, his head moved back and forth slowly at first, then increased his rhythm when my brother started actively thrusting in. It all created a sensual, erotic scene that burned my feelings up, not because of how daring they were, but how intense they wished to give themselves to each other.

"Kaname... Kaname..." Zero called his lover's name desperately while holding the base of his own hardness, trying to ease their fervidness off. "I want to come inside you."

The pureblood was thrilled to hear that forthright request, his eyes glowed with apparent joy and yearning "Take me please!"

His arms which were resting on my brother's thighs enthusiastically rubbed him up and down with encouragement, Zero seemed to have a full grasp of his lover's meaning in those seducing words and such invigorating action. He might have tried to avoid it, tried to stay irresponsive to the pureblood's invitation, but tonight he would surely go with it.

After my brother got off his body, Kaname raised his legs into an M shape, displaying his willing hole which had been glossed thoroughly, a trace of sheeny, transparent fluid leaking out as a result of his contraction since they started making out. Zero was amazed with its fascination, he placed a finger on the partly gaping ring to relish his first feeling, before gently pushing the finger in. The cavern ardently squeezed around his knuckle, soft, slippery rectal wall seemed to be sucking him in deeper. "You've prepared yourself." He mumbled.

"A male can't get wet naturally when he's excited. I don't want to turn you off by holding back to prepare me."

Zero looked up with surprise. It was unbelievable. Now I was curious about how it had been between Kaname and Ichijou in their thirty year relationship. His oral skill was excellent, of course I couldn't feel, but at least in the way I looked at it, he knew exactly how to please a man's stick. He could be thoughtful and cleaned himself on his own before they started, but preparation was a part of love making, just as touching, kissing and giving head to each other, it would heighten their desire and deepen their passion. I didn't imagine Ichijou had skipped it every time they made love, though it sounded like it was the way Kaname was used to.

"It's my pleasure to prepare you." My brother said "Can you let me do it for you from now on?"

The pureblood stared at him, wanting to say something but couldn't find the right words, something like embarrassment flooded his expression "It..." He stammered in daze "Is it... alright?"

"It will make me want you more." Zero positioned himself over his lover, using his knees and hands to support his own body "You can never turn me off, Kaname! I want to claim you right now."

My brother's tip easily slithered through his lover's entrance. The pureblood opened up to receive him, his mouth gasped when the penetration transmitted an intense sensation over his senses, moans escaped his parting, swollen lips.

"Do I hurt you?" Zero asked tentatively.

"Not at all. I feel like... in heaven."

I believed all of my brother's sexual knowledge was from school, from the official classes he had taken, beside them, he had never bothered to make any research for other purposes, he even hadn't explored his own body. Twenty five years, he had done nothing, except studying and training. I wasn't quite sure whether his original preference was men, because he had never looked at anyone with desire. He was too indifferent to the outside world that I assumed he would strictly follow the life our family had expected from him. Maybe I didn't have enough time to understand him properly, maybe all of my assumptions, suppositions about how he thought, how he felt were absolutely wrong, but I didn't have to worry for him anymore. This powerful pureblood would take good care of him, would stay by his side till his last breath, and remained loving him as much as in this moment, when he was wrapping his legs around him, and throwing his arms to clasp on his neck. There was a future for them, though the path led to it wasn't unrolled with rose. My mind randomly replayed a scene three years ago, when Zero finished the first book written by Kaname Kuran, he closed it, then fondly rubbed over his name on the cover. I knew it was admiration, but it shouldn't be his first sign of love, it shouldn't mean he started falling for him since, and it shouldn't be the reason which resulted in their current situation.

If sex was an instinct, then why did I feel like I was seeing a magnificence of an superlative art? It was in their movements, their combination, their ardor into each other, it was in my brother heaving up and down in an appealing, harmonic rhythm, it was in the pureblood's yearning and greediness as clinging to him and trying to pull him deeper into his body. They passionately brought themselves closer and closer to the fantastic peak.

"Zero... Hold on... Zero..."

My brother worriedly ceased thrusting to stroke his lover's slick, silky hair "Did you hurt?"

The pureblood's eyes seemed watery, vehemence sparkled in his look saying he was profoundly enjoying their love making "I'm sorry. Please continue..."

Their bodies slapped each other as he moved up to submerse my brother's length which had been pulled back in half. Excitement was still overwhelmed, Zero immediately resumed his pounding, even made it fierier to explode themselves in a terrific orgasm.

"Hold... Zero... please..."

This time he had to take it seriously, and determine to pull out, yet his lover held him still. "Please don't! I want you to come inside me. Just give me a few seconds."

"It's okay, Kaname! Don't force yourself. We can do it later." My brother muttered. Now he had understood his lover better. Kaname said he wished to follow our customs and serve him as the other wives served their husband in hunter families, it meant he would disregard everything else to fulfill my brother's earlier request, especially since it was their first love making, not counting the previous time when Zero wasn't in his right mind. Yes, Zero had hurt him during sex when he was sunk in insanity, how could I forget Kaname was injured while all the marks were still very obvious on his body?

"Let me help you to release!" My brother remained inside him, so that his lover wouldn't feel being abandoned for failing to satisfy him, but made it clear that they would finish it in a more gentle way. The pureblood's arousal was still in his best size, he couldn't be able to rest well until it subdued.

But Kaname hastily grabbed his hand before he could reach him "Don't touch! I will come immediately if you touch me." Seeing my brother's confusion, he explained "I can't come where our bodies are jointed as a woman does. If I come, my semen will dirty your body."

His explanation made Zero more confused and angrier, not to his lover, but to himself, as it swiftly turned into agony in his expression "You asked me to stop because you're trying to hold back?" He purposely pressed his weight on him until feeling the pureblood's hardness rubbing his stomach "Let's come together!"

Kaname was really frightened, though didn't push him away "It isn't appropriate. I am satisfied if you're satisfied. I'll take care of myself later."

"My customs didn't say we can't climax together."

"It's not your customs. It's..." The pureblood evaded my brother's intense look "... uncle Rido told me so." Tears unwillingly trickled from the corners of his eyes "Please, Zero! I don't want to turn you off. I don't want you to feel disgusted and never touch me again."

Just as I thought I had known more about him, it turned out there was a lot of pains in his past which he hadn't yet disclosed to my brother. His parents passed away when he was twelve, and Rido returned to stay with him for a year. It was an open secret that he had been deflowered by his own uncle, and you might have the same guess with mine about how this secret was spread out or why Ichiou seemed to know it to arrange his grandson to become Kaname's lover. Rido was a scum, but I didn't imagine he could be low to the point to tell those cruel words to his nephew because he only cared about himself and his own pleasure.

Sex was an expression of love, and it was only meaningful when it brought mutual pleasure for both of them. Zero tenderly turned his lover's face back to him and wiped his tears off "It's not a turn off. Didn't Ichijou explain to you?"

"We... I've never... when... with him."

Never come with Ichijou? I was dumbfounded. How could it possible? How could his thirty years in love and happiness be merely a product of my own imagination? Even after he revealed that Ichijou's initiative feeling for him was killed off because the noble decided to share him with his grandfather, I still thought they at least had good sex or something that made him hold to their relationship.

"He never tried to please you?" Zero asked.

"I was fine. I didn't feel as much as you made me. I didn't know a man could feel that fantastic when receiving another man."

It sounded incredible for a doctor to say that. But Kaname wasn't saying it as a doctor. He had never had good experience in bed. His uncle took his virginity without his understanding consent, then Ichijou used sex as a condition to admit him as his lover. All of them were vampires, arousal was a usual after-effect from drinking pure blood. I didn't know how often Ichijou slept with him because he simply wanted him, how often he slept with him just to release his own blood drunken excitement, and how often Kaname was asked to take the tranquilizer to give blood to Ichiou, then give his body to him to resolve the following problem. But if it was how he had lived, then how could he be keen on exploring the sexual pleasure or checking if what the other guys talked about sex were true? Even in his relationship with my brother, he hadn't expected to get any good feeling in bed, though he prepared himself each time they met. I was upset with him and the way he thought, at the same time I felt terribly sad for his bigotry and blindly taking all disadvantages to himself.

"It isn't a condition, Kaname! Please let me when you also want it, and refuse me when you aren't in the mood, because I can't climax while you're restraining your feeling." Zero affectionately nipped his lover's lips "It isn't easy to live with my conservatism, but I will try harder to make you happy. Don't hold back with me, tell me what you want!"

The pureblood's pale, hairless legs once again wrapped around my brother's hips "Could we resume it? I love feeling you thrusting in me."

"Yes, if only you will come together with me!"

Kaname beautifully blushed, Zero lifted himself up a bit and started moving to regain his full hardness. It took no time until they got back to the boiling hot way up to their orgasm. My brother sealed his lover's lips with a blazing kiss, and earned more passionate moans from him when he finally let him go. The pureblood's fingers unconsciously scratched his back, his toes curled up with sheer rousing, now and then I could hear his weak urgings between his incoherent whimpers "Harder... … hard... … harder... …"

Zero was indulged in his instinct and his lover's covetousness. Where they were, what was happening out there didn't matter anymore, because right here, right now he had met his fated lover and found a way to accept him, he was holding him in his embrace and would never leave him alone.

Their bodies merged together and eventually they reached the peak of harmony and unification. After-sex scent soaked the entire room, Kaname seemed tense for a moment, but relaxed himself as Zero satisfactorily dropped his weight on his chest, insisted to keep them still and left his spent part inside him.

They rest for a while, then went to take a shower together. My brother carefully checked and dried the tattoo on his lover's arm. It looked perfect now, the rose was shining attractively in striking crimson with exquisite, skillful strokes. He gently kissed on it before placing another kiss on the pureblood's mouth. It was hard to be separated now, yet he couldn't linger longer. There wasn't much time left until the New Year came. Kaname helped him to get dressed and walked him to the door.

"I'm sorry I have to go." Zero said perplexedly.

"I understand." The pureblood gave him an assured smile "I'll be here waiting for you."

"After the holidays, I will tell my father about my wish of relinquishing to be his successor, because I would like to pursue the position of the next Association president." My brother said calmly as though it was a plan he had been carefully considered for a long time "You can't relocate to Okinawa, so I will move to Hokkaido to be with you. I will stay unmarried and no children all my life, but I don't want to become a disgrace to my family."

Zero was right, for the time being, our father wouldn't press him to get married since his engagement with Aimi Takamiya had just been cancelled, and he would likely accept his reason to renounce the right to success him if it was for pursuing a higher position. Our family had been waiting for many generations to deliver another HA president. This dream had never been close as now, when we had a man who reached his supreme level at the age of twenty five.

"I will support you." Kaname repeated his promise.

"Chairman Cross has offered me to be his assistant at the headquarters." Zero nodded "Please tolerate my obligations that I need to accomplish in my life. For my late brother, I want to take revenge on Shizuka Hio. For my father, I want to become a high-ranking hunter. For my mother, I cannot publish our relationship."

"I will assist you in the fight with Hio. I will assist you to build the relations with the other senior hunters and the vampire council. And I'm already happy with how we are now. Everyone else doesn't need to know, as long as I have your recognition. I belong to you, Zero!"

My brother brushed his fingers on the pureblood's smooth, silky cheek "You are very beautiful, Kaname!"

They pulled each other in an amorous embrace, wishing time would slow down a little bit to delay their parting. Zero closed his eyes as tightening his arms around his lover's body. Did he realise he had taken the pureblood's first time? It was a shame for those previous men, because tonight was the first time Kaname had really relaxed himself and enjoyed the breathtaking pleasure of becoming one with the man who truly loved him. My brother had fully given him the sincere, passionate love which he had been longing for, while he was the perfect lover who walked out from my brother's deepest dream.

"I love you."

**The ****E****nd**

_Posted: __2 __March__ 2013_

_Ah, so happy to complete another fanfic. The sequel of this story is "**The Phantom of an Oblivious Past**" I look forward to receiving your continued support :-)_

_Please let me know what you think about this story._


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